V is for Vengence
by gibbsrossi
Summary: The team is being targeted. Nate is being cruelly toyed with. Can they figure out who is doing it? Is it somebody from one of their pasts or is it one of their ex-marks? A game of cat and mouse ensues and Nate and the team will have to be at their best to survive. TeamFic with the usual N/S pairing.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

They were all gathered in the restaurant for dinner. The mood at the table was jovial to say the least. They had just completed a job, one that had gone pear-shaped halfway through but they had pulled it through anyway. Eliot was going on with Hardison about something, Parker was poking at Eliot and annoying the hell out of him and Sophie and Nate were just sitting back and watching the whole thing. That is when it all started.

"Delivery for Nathan Ford." The delivery man said as he walked up to the bar.

Nate looked up and frowned slightly. He had not ordered anything and he was not expecting any package.

"I'm Nate Ford…" He said as he stood and approached the delivery man. He took the package and signed the delivery note.

"You expecting something?" Eliot asked eyeing the package with apprehension. He was suspicious by nature and unexpected packages were never a good sign. Joining Nate at the bar he examined the package. It was a long thin white box wrapped at the top with a black ribbon.

"Well…are you going to open it?" Parker asked as she watched the two examine the package carefully.

Nate looked at Eliot. The Hitter nodded slightly in response and Nate took that as the go ahead. He carefully pulled the ribbon off of the box and slowly lifted the lid. Letting out a breath as the lid came off with no accompanying explosion, Nate looked into the box. There was a single black rose with a note attached. Nate reached in and lifted the note out. Opening it he read the scrawled writing on it. It held only three letters. _"RIP"_. He passed the note to Eliot silently. Eliot's face darkened as he read the note.

"Nate?" Sophie asked seeing the sudden concern on Eliot's face and seeing the black rose that Nate took out of the box. Just as she, Hardison and Parker were moving to join them at the bar a shot rang out and Nate dropped to the floor.

"Nate…Nate…" Sophie screamed out and ran to the fallen man. Eliot and the others also dropped down behind the bar expecting more bullets. None came.

"Nate…" Sophie called again turning him and lifting his head onto her lap. There was a nasty streak across his forehead where the bullet had grazed him. The furrow was deep and blood trickled down his face. Eliot moved over to her and checked the Mastermind.

"It's just a graze. He'll be fine." Eliot said assessing the injury quickly. After he had assured himself that Nate was fine for now he moved to close the blinds on the window. Parker did the same for the other windows and Hardison made sure the door was closed and locked. Only then did Eliot move back to where Sophie still sat holding Nate's unconscious body.

"Let's get him to the back." Eliot said lifting Nate into his arms and making his way into the back of the restaurant where the Leverage HQ was situated. Eliot lay Nate down on the couch and told Parker to get the first aid kit. Parker quickly retrieved it and Eliot set to work cleaning the wound and putting a bandage on. "He'll be out for a while but he's going to be fine. It's just a graze…a few inches to the left and…" Eliot did not have to elaborate for them to know what he meant.

"Thank God." Sophie said moving her chair next to Nate and running her hand through his hair gently.

"Hardison, we need this place locked down." Eliot said to the Hacker. "Parker all blinds closed now." Eliot and Parker moved though the building making sure all windows and doors were closed and locked and blinds closed. Hardison checked his security and made sure all cameras were operational. He froze suddenly staring at the screen which held the camera image of the back door of their building.

"Eliot…somebody outside." He called out watching the dark figure drop something at the door and then disappear.

"Where?" Eliot immediately asked ready for action.

"Back door…he dropped something then went…" Hardison answered. "Trying to clear up the image."

Eliot and Parker made their way to the back door. Eliot drew a deep breath the opened the door slowly ready for anything. Parker quickly grabbed the envelope that had been dropped on the floor right outside the door. As soon as she was inside again Eliot closed and bolted the door. He took the note Parker held out to him and went back into the main area where Hardison was working on the image and Sophie sat with Nate.

"Eliot?" She asked looking at the note. Everybody stopped what they were doing as Eliot opened the note and read the contents. It was in the same scrawled handwriting.

"You have begun to die…" Eliot's face darkened again. The full meaning of the note not being lost on him. The bullet that had struck Nate had not meant to kill him, merely injure. It took one hell of a good shot to pull that off. He looked around at the other three people who were all staring at him. He could see from their expressions that they also understood the meaning of the note.

Sophie looked down at the unconscious man lying on the couch. Fear shone in her brown eyes, fear and concern. "What now?" She asked looking up at Eliot. He was the Hitter, he was the one who protected the team, he was the one who knew about these things.

Eliot just looked back at her. He was as much at a loss as she was. "We keep him safe."

"And how do we do that?" Parker asked.

"Well…I don't know…we keep him here behind closed doors and we find who is doing this." Eliot answered. He knew as he said it that it was not going to be that easy. Firstly to keep Nate locked up here was not going to happen, and secondly he did not even know where to start looking for who was doing this. They had taken down hundreds of corrupt, powerful men. Nate had put a lot of people behind bars in his job with IYS. It could be anybody. "Hardison…you got anything?"

"No man…the guy was dressed all in black and he kept his face hidden." Hardison looked up at Eliot. "It was like he knew where the cameras were…" Hardison said shakily.

"How is that possible Hardison, I helped you with those and there is no way anybody knows they are there unless…" Parker was saying when she suddenly realized the implications of it.

"We could have been watched…I mean when we were setting everything up." Hardison said also catching what Parker was saying. Only he and Parker knew where the cameras were placed, not even the rest of the team knew.

"That was months ago though, and nobody knew we were coming here to Portland." Sophie chimed in.

"If you were watched, it could mean the rest of the security is also compromised." Eliot said looking at the Hacker intently.

"No way man…there is no way anybody breached the security. After Latimer and Dubenich I was extra careful…anti-bugging devices, more camera's…everything." Hardison said

"Why only Nate…I mean if we were watched then whoever this is must know about all of us." Sophie said.

"Good point Sophie. He must know about us. This seems personal, whoever this is, he is only going after Nate…at least for now." Eliot said thoughtfully.

"Very personal…If I read that note correctly he meant to miss. He meant to just hurt Nate, show him that he could kill him anytime." Sophie said echoing Eliot's conclusions when he had first read the note. "It's like a cat playing with a mouse."

"Who could do this…I don't think one of our 'marks' are capable of this. I suppose whoever it is could have been hired to do it, but…"

"But it feels too personal for a hired gun." Eliot finished her thought for her.

"Yes…way to personal. Whoever it is wants Nate to suffer."

"Or us to suffer." Parker said drawing her own conclusions from what had been said and what had happened.

"I don't get you mama." Hardison said.

"Well…he is going after Nate but…well he knew we would get the second note not Nate…he wants us to worry."

Eliot stared at her thinking about what she was saying. If she was right, then the torment was meant for one of them and Nate was just a means to an end. It also meant that the pool of possible assailants had just quadrupled. It could be somebody wanting to hurt himself, and God knew there were a lot of those. Or Hardison or Sophie or Parker, each of them had enemies from their previous lives, him and maybe Sophie more than the other two. Whoever it was must know how much Nate means to them, all of them. It did not really matter; the fact was that Nate was being targeted for whatever reason. Eliot's immediate concern was to keep the Mastermind safe.

"If Parker is right, where do we look for whoever this is? I mean, if it is somebody from our individual pasts…well I don't know where to start looking." Hardison said dejectedly.

"Right…we all make lists, anybody who we crossed paths with in the past who could be doing this. Hardison you can then check all of them out plus any ex-marks who might be able to get this done. We have had a few." Eliot said. "Until we have some sort of plan, nobody leaves here. This is where we are safest for now and where he is safest. That has to be the priority." Everybody nodded in agreement. Nate's safety was paramount. He was the target. "One of us is monitoring the security at all times. I want to know if anybody comes close to the place. I'll take first shift. The rest of you should get some rest. Tomorrow when he wakes up we can start planning on how we are going to get ourselves out of this." Eliot continued. Such was his faith in Nate that he was sure he would come up with some plan or the other. Until then, well they just had to stay alert and keep him alive.

Luckily Hardison had taken all possible scenarios into account when setting up their offices. Including the possibility that they may have to stay there for whatever reason, so there were three crash pads set up and ready for use.

"Eliot can you help me get Nate to the room please?" Sophie asked softly. Eliot nodded and lifted the man into his arms again and carried him into the first of the three rooms, placing him gently on the bed. "Thank you Eliot." Sophie said.

"No problem. He should be out for the rest of the night and probably most of the morning tomorrow, but he will be ok." Eliot reassured her as he saw the concern on her face.

"I'm not worried about tonight, or tomorrow Eliot. I am worried about after that. You know what he is like…he is going to try to protect us and probably play the hero. I'll bet you anything that he is going to want to put himself out there as bait." Sophie said. "The worst thing is that we will not be able to stop him and you know it."

"I know…but we will deal with that later. For now let's just get some rest. Tomorrow we can look at it all again ok." Eliot replied knowing she was right. Nate was a stubborn damn fool who would be more than willing to sacrifice himself for their sakes. Well he was not going to let him do that, even if he had to tie the damn man to the bed.

**OK well here is the first chapter of my new story. I hope you all enjoyed. Please review and let me know what you think.**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Eliot was right in his assessment of Nate. He remained asleep for the rest of the night and most of the next morning. The rest of the team were up early and made a start on trying to figure out who the maniac who was doing this was. Parker's and Hardison's lists of people who could want revenge on them were actually nonexistent. Neither of them could think of anybody in their pasts who were capable of doing anything remotely like what was going on. Sophie had a seven people on her list and Eliot's list was a page long. None of them had held back. The fact that they were all private people who kept their pasts mostly to themselves was a testament to what they would do for Nate. Hardison looked up from Eliot's list and frowned at the man.

"Seriously…you pissed him off?" Hardison asked as he read through the names.

"Hardison…just get on with it will you." Eliot growled at the man.

"Alright man…I'm just saying…" Hardison said putting the names into the search program he had written to track all the people named. He had always known that Eliot was a dangerous man who had messed with a lot of dangerous people…he just did not realize how dangerous Eliot's previous life had really been. Of course the whole San Lorenzo mess had given them a slight insight. Finally he had everybody in and the only thing left to do was to let the program work its magic. "Ok…well now all we need is Nate's list, then we wait." Hardison said getting up from the table to get himself some orange soda from the fridge.

"What list would that be?" Nate asked as he walked into the room. He looked awful; a huge bruise had formed on his forehead. His face was also swollen on the side where the bullet had grazed him. He was disheveled; he still had the clothes from the previous day on. He swayed slightly as he moved slowly toward the table. Sophie stood quickly and grabbed his arm steadying him and helping him to a seat.

"A list of all the people who would want you dead…" Hardison replied.

"Oh…yeah that." Nate said as Eliot placed a steaming cup of coffee in front of him. He lifted his hand to his head and grimaced slightly. He was just glad to see all of them alive and well and unharmed. He remembered the delivery of the rose and the note, then a searing pain in his head and then nothing. When he and first woken his immediate thought had been of them. Had any of them been hurt or worse? Getting out of bed without falling flat on his face had been a challenge on its own but his need to know they were alright drove him up and out into the main living area. His relief at seeing them all was almost overwhelming but he hid it well. He was grateful for Sophie's assistance and took his seat just as he thought he was about to fall over. His head was killing him but he wanted to know what had happened after he had been incapacitated. If somebody was after them he wanted to get started on finding out who and how to stop them. He was about to say exactly that when Eliot interrupted him.

"I'll get the first aid kit and we can have a look at that wound." Eliot said as he saw Nate's grimace. He knew the Mastermind was trying to figure things out and that he was going to want to get information immediately. He also could see that the man was still groggy and unsteady. He had not eaten since yesterday and his head must be killing him. He needed to take it slow…_Right Eliot, like that is going to happen,_ is what he thought. "Then you can go get cleaned up before we get down to the rest of it." He said almost hopefully.

Nate looked up and smiled at his Hitter. He was being managed, but at the moment he felt way too bad to argue with him about it now. "Yes Daddy" Nate said sitting back in his chair and fielding the withering look Eliot threw at him after the comment.

After Eliot had cleaned and redressed the wound and given Nate some pain tablets he went to the kitchen. "Why don't you go get cleaned up and then we can have some breakfast and we can fill you in?" Eliot said over his shoulder to the Mastermind. He was surprised Nate was allowing him to side-track him from getting into the whole thing, that just showed how off-balance the man was.

Nate grinned ruefully…Eliot really was managing him but he was not ready to challenge him yet. Maybe once he had had a shower and the pain tablets and kicked in he would feel better. He stood from the table and immediately he grabbed it for support as a wave of dizziness swept over him. Sophie reached out to him and held him steady. "I'm ok…" Nate said patting Sophie on the hand. "Really..." He said as he drew a deep breath and started toward the room. As he disappeared into the room Eliot turned toward Sophie.

"Maybe you should go with him…" Eliot said drawing a smirk from Hardison and Parker. Sophie just raised her eyebrow at him. "We don't want him drinking Sophie…not with the pain meds and everything else." Eliot quickly added seeing that they had all drawn their own conclusions as to what he meant.

"Right…" Sophie said turning and making her way to join Nate in the room.

"I don't need any help Sophie." Nate said as he heard her enter the room. He knew she had been sent by Eliot to make sure he did not take a drink or two. "And don't worry I'm not planning of having a drink…not right now anyway." He smiled at the Grifter.

Sophie smiled back at him. She knew he did not want her in here for other reasons. They had been in an intimate relationship for over two years now and the rest of the team were well aware of that. But Nate still did not give any open displays while around them. She was sure he did not do it consciously but she also knew that he had not changed his mind from when they had started this. He had said then he did not want to be in a relationship, although that is exactly what they were in. Although they did not live together they did spend most of their time together. She sighed as she watched him grab the top of the drawers to steady himself as another wave of dizziness hit. He was such a stubborn ass sometimes. But, she loved him and she knew he loved her too…he just wasn't ready to say that out loud just yet.

"Really Nate…" She asked him as she saw him sway slightly as he headed into the bathroom. "Do you really want to end up on the floor of the shower with another crack to the head?" She asked as she followed in him into the room. He stood holding onto the basin for support. He really was a stubborn man she thought again.

"Ok…maybe a little help." He smiled at her. She nodded and moved forward to assist him in disrobing and getting into the shower. He caught her as she removed his shirt and pulled her into a kiss.

"Thanks." He whispered softly. It was such a tender intimate moment that Sophie could feel emotion well up inside her. He might be an ass, but he was her ass and that was all that mattered. She smiled into the kiss pulling him in tight to her. He reciprocated and they stood holding on to each other for a few minutes before he pulled away.

"We better get started…Eliot will be done with the food soon and you know how he gets if we let it get cold. Besides I'm starving." He said turning the taps on in the shower. "Why don't you go get me some clothes out and I'll be out in a few minutes ok."

"Ok…you sure you're going to be ok to shower alone…?" She said seductively. She watched him as he removed the rest of his clothes and stepped carefully into the shower.

"Quite sure this time…but hold that thought." Nate smiled back at her as he moved under the spray. He would have enjoyed having her in the shower with him; it would not have been the first time. But he was not really in any state to do that at this moment. Besides which, he needed to get the information on what was going on, the whole picture of what happened yesterday. Somebody had tried to kill him that was clear; he was just a little murky on the rest of the details.

About a quarter of an hour later he and Sophie emerged from the room. He felt a little more human now that he was clean with fresh clothes on. The pain medication had also kicked in and he was feeling a hundred percent better than when he had first woken up. Eliot had the food done and the table was set. Sophie and he took their seats. The meal was spent in relative silence. Only once the meal was over did Nate sit back and look at his team before speaking.

"So…what do we know?" Nate asked after Hardison had taken his plate and delivered a cup of steaming coffee to him.

"No much." Eliot said looking at the Mastermind. "We know that somebody is targeting you. We know he is a professional and that he is damn good. We know that he did not mean to kill you, just injure…"

"Wait a minute…what was that?" Nate asked listening to Eliot and wondering how he had come to that particular conclusion. Eliot took out the note they had received and handed it to Nate. Nate took it and read it carefully…his eyebrows lifted as the meaning became clear. Then sat back and nodded at Eliot to continue.

"Well, that is about all we do know. What we don't know is who it is and why he is doing this." Eliot finished.

"What about the 'lists' Hardison was talking about? Lists of whom…our ex-marks?" Nate asked coming back to the comment he had heard as he had entered the room earlier.

"Well…you see Parker had this idea…" Hardison said. "She thought maybe you were just being used to get at one of us."

Nate blinked a few times and raised his eyebrows, a sure sign he was surprised at the words but also that he considered it possible. "That's why the note was delivered to you guys…it wasn't meant for me but one of you." Nate said immediately coming to the same conclusion as Parker had.

"That's the idea yeah…" Eliot confirmed. He was always amazed at how quickly Nate picked up on things and analyzed them almost instantaneously.

"So…Hardison any luck on your searches. I mean…any names pop as likely suspects." Nate asked the Hacker. He assumed that Hardison had put all the names on the respective lists into some sort of program to search for any possible clue as to who could be behind this.

"A few…Eliot pissed off a lot of people you know, and Sophie wasn't far behind." Hardison replied.

"I take it you are not allowing for a hitter…a hired gun. You think this too personal?" Nate asked Eliot again surprising the man with his conclusion.

"That's the thought…what do you think."

"I don't know…we can't discount that this could be hired out. But you are probably right. What else?"

"Well the guy who dropped the note seemed to know where our cameras were. He also knew to get to the back of the building and that we would not be expecting that." Eliot replied.

"Ok…so we have been scoped out. He knows us…he knows this place…and he is playing with us." Nate said thoughtfully. "This has been planned and not since yesterday. He must have been watching us for a while to get the locations of the cameras…you set them up when you got the building didn't you Hardison, that was a few months ago so…"

"So he knows what he is doing. I don't think our apartments are safe right now either, you can bet he knows where they are." Eliot confirmed.

"Well he is playing a game…he is toying with us. He is obviously very sure of himself and his abilities to go up against us." Nate looked into the distance in a way they all knew, he was planning, and an idea was forming in his head and they all waited for him to enlighten them. "We need to draw him out…we need to get him to try again and maybe he will make a mistake…especially now that we know he is around."

"Now Nate…I know what you are thinking and that ain't going to happen. You have a target on you and you are NOT going to go out there and tempt fate." Eliot said, he had been waiting for the Mastermind to make this suggestion and he was ready to stop him from being stupid.

"Eliot…you said it yourself. He did not want to kill me. I don't think he wants to kill me now. I think that he wants to play a game of cat and mouse…him being the cat. Parker is probably right, this is not aimed at me ultimately, I may be the one being targeted but he wants to hurt one of you. Now if we are going to get him to make a mistake that we can capitalize on we have to draw him out."

"Nate…we can't take the chance, what if he does actually want to kill you…I mean we only have a theory now." Sophie said trying to make him see that he was asking them to take too much of a risk with his life.

"Well we won't know that either…we can't prove a theory unless we test it." Nate said to the Grifter. He was sure that they were right and if they were then he was not in danger of being killed just yet. They needed to get whoever this was to make another move. The ball was in their court at the moment but he was not sure how long the 'would be' killer would wait for them to do something.

"Let's put it this way. If you take a toy away from a kid…well he generally throws a tantrum. Well I am the toy for this guy at the moment and if I don't play with…well he might throw a tantrum. You said he was a professional and he was good…if he did throw a tantrum Eliot, how much damage could he do…?"

Eliot did not answer him. He knew how much damage he could do if he wanted to. Whoever this was could do at least as much.

"Another thing guys…he is focused on me right now…I would like to keep it that way. If I stay inside here nicely insulated…he might decide to go after another target, one of you. Now I know what you are all going to say but think about it logically. We don't need to worry about more than one person at a time. With him focused on me that leaves you guys to cover my back AND we get to try to draw him out. If he is going after more than one of us…well that makes it more difficult."

Sophie just shook her head in disbelieve. He was doing it again, placing his life in danger in order to protect theirs, not that she thought he would do anything else. The kicker was he was right. His logic was as always spot on. She just did not have to like it. She could see by the look on Eliot's face that he knew he could not argue Nate's logic with him either. They were going to have to go along with him on this, even if they did not like it.

"Fine Nate you want to play it that way, we'll do it." Eliot said slowly ignoring the wide eyed disbelieve from the two youngest members of the team and the sharp intake of breath from Sophie. "BUT you will follow my lead on ALL security. Understood?" Eliot said looking the Mastermind in the eye.

"Understood..." Nate replied simply. He was not going to argue that point. Eliot was the Hitter, the security specialist and he was willing to take instructions to a point from him. "Good now that that is settled…Hardison what do you need from me?"

Hardison sat for a minute not answering; he was still processing the fact that Eliot was now willing to let Nate put himself out there as a target for this maniac.

"Hardison…" Nate called his name pulling him back to reality.

"Oh…yeah. I need a list of all the people who could be after you…from your IYS days." Hardison said still looking at Eliot with his _'what the hell man'_ look.

"OK…I'll put one together. By the way, I think we should open the bar, we need to get things as normal as possible…let this guy know that we are not afraid of him or what he is doing."

"But we are…" Parker muttered. She was not happy that Eliot and Sophie seemed quite ok with letting Nate put himself in the line of fire. She was not prepared to take chances with Nate's life, why were they? Nate should stay here, where he was safe and they could go out and look for this guy whoever he was.

"We can't show it though Parker. Don't worry, with you and Eliot watching my back everything will be fine and we will get through this…ok?" Nate said to his Thief. He could see she was not happy with the situation; she had her slight pout and sad eyes that indicated that she was uncomfortable with the whole situation. The same look she had when she thought he was going to kill Latimer and Dubenich.

"OK…" Parker said the uncertainty still evident, but she would never go against Nate. She had complete trust in him and even though she was still not sure this was the right thing to do, if it was what Nate wanted, then it is what she would do.

"Alright then…it's settled." Nate said standing up and making his way to the kitchen to get himself a drink. Once he had poured himself a glass, much to the disgust of Eliot and Sophie although neither said anything, he sat back down at the table to start making his list.

**Hope you enjoyed. As always I love having your reviews. Your thoughts and comments are always greatly appreciated.**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Nate spent the rest of the day studying the possibilities that Hardison's program had thrown out, with the help of Sophie and Eliot. Parker and Hardison spent the day in the front, ostensibly to check that the bar ran smoothly. The real reason was that they checked every patron against facial recognition based on the people who had been listed by the group. Early in the evening Eliot instructed Hardison to close the door and come to the back for a security briefing.

"Right…Firstly all blinds here in the back stay closed at all times. Hardison have you set up the thing we talked about?"

"Yeah…if anybody comes near any one of the doors or windows my little watch dog will let me know." Hardison confirmed. Eliot had asked if he could set up a warning system. "And the guy will know nothing about it 'cause I did it all remotely." Hardison added.

"Good now Nate…" Eliot turned to the Mastermind.

"The rules are simple. You go nowhere without one of us with you and you wear this…" Eliot held up a light-weight bullet proof vest. "At all times when outside this building…including when you are in the front at the bar."

Nate opened his mouth to protest but was immediately interrupted by Eliot.

"Nate you agreed to my rules, my security. Those are the two rules that are non-negotiable. Furthermore, all of us will keep an earbud in at all times. I don't want any of us out of contact ever. We can also track you on them if the need arose. Finally, everybody stays here for the duration…our apartments are probably being watched. Tomorrow we will take a trip to each one and collect what we need for the foreseeable period."

"You done…" Nate asked the Hitter.

"For now, if I think of anything else, I will let you know." Eliot replied. He knew that Nate did not like being dictated to but in this instance he was not willing to cater to the Masterminds needs or wants. It was his duty to keep not only Nate safe but the rest of the team as well and he was not going to take any chances in that department.

Just at that moment Hardison's computer sprung to life alerting them to a presence approaching the front door of the bar. Hardison checked the camera's and told them all to relax it was just the pizza he had ordered for dinner. He and Parker disappeared to go and collect it.

"Eliot…don't you think you are going a little overboard with…that thing?" Nate asked eyeing the bullet-proof vest with distaste. He was all for being protected but he thought that Eliot was being a little dramatic with the vest, besides which he was still of the opinion that Mr. Whoeverhewas was not out to kill him just yet. No Nate was sure the game was only starting. He was not sure how the guy was going to come after him next but he did not think he would use a bullet again.

"No." Was all Eliot said as the two youngest members returned to the room with the promised pizza.

"So Eliot, if this was you, I mean if you were the Cat in this game…what would your next move be?" Nate asked the Hitter as he eyed his pizza.

"I don't know…I never played games." Eliot replied meaningfully.

"Ah yes of course. Well if it was me…I would maybe use something more subtle next time, something more…painful with longer lasting effects." Nate said softly. Eliot looked at the Mastermind and then his eyes lit up with understanding.

"Everybody stop eating." Eliot said as he removed the piece of pizza he was about to bite from his mouth.

Hardison and Parker stopped mid-chew at the instruction and quickly spat out what was in their mouths. They too had realized what Nate was getting at just as Eliot shouted out his instruction. Sophie had not touched her pizza yet thankfully.

"You don't think that..." Hardison said with wide eyes. "Hell no man is nothing sacred? Anyway it's you he's after Nate not us right?"

"Well, he could not possibly know which one I would eat." Nate said to the Hacker.

"Ok, Ok I get it…but you all owe me man, I paid for them and now I can't even eat them." Hardison said collecting all of the pizzas and disposing of them in the kitchen.

"Keep a small piece of each…we should get them tested just for the hell of it." Nate called to him. He would like to know if he was right.

"I know somebody who can do that for us. In the meantime we eat only what we prepare ourselves." Eliot agreed. He moved into the kitchen to knock together a meal for the team, Sophie joined him.

Once the meal was done Nate excused himself and disappeared into his and Sophie's room. It had been a long day and his head was killing him. Besides which all he really wanted was a drink and some time alone. Sophie watched him leave with a bottle of whiskey in his hand. She frowned slightly and looked at Eliot questioningly.

"Yeah, not the best idea but I think if we give him any more instructions he'll explode." Eliot said resignedly. He did not like the fact that Nate was drinking while taking pain pills. But the man was under a lot of pressure. Not only was he being target by a sadistic madman, he was also trying to stay one step ahead of him to protect the team. Which Eliot knew was his main priority, not himself. He grabbed Sophie's arm as she started to make her way to the room. "I think he needs a little time to himself." Eliot said.

"You are probably right." Sophie said pouring herself a glass of wine. Nate may be the physical target but they were all being psychologically targeted. She sighed heavily and looked towards the bedroom door.

"Maybe you should go." Eliot said with a smile.

"I just want to make sure he does not…well you know."

"Overdo it with the drink or the pills, yeah I know." Eliot said putting his hand on her shoulder. "Just remember we need our rest as well."

"I will." She looked around and not seeing either Parker or Hardison she assumed they had also retired to bed. "You remember that to Eliot." She smiled patting him gently on the hand and leaning in to kiss him on the cheek. "I'm just glad you are on our side."

Eliot watched her walk into the room then smiled to himself. The woman always knew what to say. How she knew he was feeling guilty because he was almost a hundred percent sure this was his fault. This guy whoever he was, he was doing this to hurt him and now his team; his family were caught up in it. Nate was caught up in it and it could cost him his life. Eliot grabbed a beer and sat down at the couch ready for another long night's vigil. Well if this guy thought he was going to get to Nate or any of the others, he was going to have to go through him first.

**Thanks to all for your reviews. I really appreciate them and they really do make me want to carry on writing. Hope you enjoy this chapter, I know it is a little shorter than the first two but I hope to post again soon. Enjoy.**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The next day was tense but quite. No further attempts were made on Nate. Most of the morning was spent visiting each of their apartments for them to collect what they would need for the stay at Leverage Inc. They finally made it back there at just after one. While Eliot gave his friend a call to get the results of the tests on the pizza pieces, Nate went straight to his office to work on figuring out who was behind this. They had precious little to go on. Hardison's profiles on the possible suspects, and their present whereabouts, those that he could find, were the only clues available. Nate sat down at his desk and poured himself a glass of whiskey. He was tired and his head still hurt and at least he could have a moment of piece alone in his office. Sophie and Eliot were busy in the kitchen preparing a meal for the team and Hardison and Parker were on front of house duty again. The tension amongst the group when they were out was palpable. Nate could sense that all of them feared for his safety and frankly, although he appreciated the concern, it was driving him a little nuts. He was not allowed to go through a door before Eliot had checked out the place, he had to sit in the back seat of the car between Sophie and Eliot at all times. When they walked anywhere, Sophie, Eliot and Parker had positioned themselves in a semi-circle around him. Not to mention wearing the damn bullet proof vest, of which he had divested himself as he walked through the doors to the offices. The other thing bothering Nate was the fact that all of them were quite happy to set themselves up as targets. The last thing that he wanted was for one of them to get hurt trying to protect him. He shook his head and took a sip of his drink, he had to find this bastard and soon.

"Nate…" Eliot said as he entered the office, "So my friend got back to me and we wasted perfectly good pizza last night, no sign of any poisons." Eliot informed him.

"Oh, well that's good to know." Nate said. "This guy has us chasing ghosts."

"Yeah, well better safe than sorry. Foods nearly ready…" Eliot said as he turned to leave.

"Right, thanks Eliot, I'll be right there." Nate looked back down at one of the possible suspects and noticed something, something he could use. He reached for his cellphone only to find that it was not in his pocket. Searching his other pockets and the table and not finding it he assumed he had left it in the car.

"Eliot…I'm just going out to the car to get my phone." Nate called to the Hitter. He made his way swiftly out the back of the building into the underground parking area. Eliot heard him call out and cursed softly as he followed the Mastermind. As he came through the door he saw Nate approaching the Mercedes. Suddenly he was deafened by a loud explosion that was amplified by the confined space of the basement they were in. He saw Nate get thrown to the ground as the Mercedes exploded before him.

"Nate…Nate…Goddammit…" Eliot shouted and rushed forward towards the fallen man. Eliot fell to his knees beside the prone figure of his friend. "Nate…Nate…" Eliot called but got no response. He felt for a pulse and found one, steady and strong. But Nate was out; the explosion must have knocked him unconscious. He wanted to check him for any other injuries but thought it best he get the Mastermind inside and to safety first. He quickly picked him up and carried him into the building. Passing by Sophie and the other two who had heard the explosion and rushed to the basement, he carried Nate into his bedroom and placed him on the bed. He immediately started checking Nate for any injuries. Finding none he stood and turned to the other three members of the team.

"He's ok…just knocked out from the explosion." Eliot told them much to their relief.

"How the hell did somebody put a bomb in the car?" Sophie asked looking at Hardison.

"I don't know Sophie…but they did not do it here, if anybody had come within spitting distance of that car my alarms would have gone off." Hardison said. He knew that Sophie did not mean to accuse him of anything but he felt guilty anyway. I'll go check the cameras in any case. He said and made a hasty retreat to his work area.

"Well if they did not do it here, then the only other time they could have is when we were out this morning. He must have gotten to the car while we were in the apartments. This guy is good Sophie, really good." Eliot said softly. "We've got to up our security. We can't allow him outside…" Eliot said looking at the Grifter seriously. She could see the fear on his face and knew he was scared for Nate, for all of them but especially for Nate.

"I don't think that is viable…needed perhaps, but not viable." Sophie said sadly. She knew Nate too well to think he would be willing to be confined to the building. "If we try to force him, he'll just do a runner on us." Sophie continued, looking down at the unconscious man on the bed.

"Sophie, I don't know if I can protect him." Eliot said in voice filled with fear and guilt. It was a voice she had never heard from the Hitter before and it scared her.

"We'll protect him, and we'll catch this bugger." Sophie said softly. "Now let's go see what Hardison has if anything, and then get something to eat. I take it he will be out for a while again?"

"Yeah…"

"Ok…well you go ahead I'll be there now." Eliot nodded and turned to go and see what Hardison had found, leaving the Grifter and the unconscious Mastermind alone.

"Oh Nate…" She whispered as she ran her hand gently through his hair. "You just rest ok…we'll be right outside." She bent down and placed a kiss on his forehead. She sat by his side and took his hand in hers. "I don't know what I will do if I lost you Nate…you are going to have to see reason and be more careful. I love you Nathan Ford…please, please let us look after you. Let Eliot do what he has to, to make sure you survive this. God you are such a stubborn man…Nate…but you need to see reason here, you have to, if not for yourself then for us...for me." She felt a little silly pleading with the unconscious man, confessing her love for him. She knew however that she would not say it when he was awake, and she needed to say it. She bent down and placed another kiss on his forehead and ran her hand down the side of his face. Then standing up she looked down at him briefly again before leaving the room quietly.

"Did you find anything on the cameras?" She asked as entered the office.

"No, but I am hacking into the traffic cams around the apartment blocks. Maybe I can find him on one of them." Hardison said not looking up from his screens as he spoke. "And there he is…" Hardison said. He pressed a button and the image of a man dressed all in black with a cap on that completely shielded his face from the camera appeared on screen. They watched as the anonymous figure quickly and efficiently placed something under the car and then walked away.

"Well that's no good…we still can't see his face." Sophie said in frustration.

"No, no we can't but see…we can take his height and then work out his weight and then cross-reference it with our list of possible suspects…and…" Hardison waited for his computer to spit out the answer to his query. "And we have narrowed the pool of suspects down to a possible seven." He said triumphantly. Eliot threw him a look that said _"why not just one"_ and Hardison smirked at him. "Well at least it is better than the fifteen we had."

"Maybe I can get something from the wreckage too, bombs are usually specific...bombers have a signature, hopefully this one has one too." Eliot said to the others. "Hardison I need to know if any of those seven have been implicated in any bombings and if so…what type of bombs they used…what they used as a trigger and so on…." Eliot told the Hacker.

"Done brother…" Hardison said getting to work immediately.

"Parker, you come with me…we need to have a look at what's left of the car." Eliot said to the Thief.

"Ok well then I will…" Sophie said looking at Hardison who was busy with the computer and watching Eliot and Parker disappear out the back towards the parking area. "Just…finish in the kitchen." She muttered to herself going back to the kitchen and pouring herself a glass of Nate's favorite whiskey. She downed the fiery liquid in one gulp. I needed that she thought to herself before continuing with the preparation of the meal for the team.

Nate woke a few hours later. He was momentarily disorientated when he opened his eyes and then he remembered the blast. He lay back in the bed, his head was killing him and his sight was a little blurry. Damn…that was close he thought to himself. Suddenly he remembered Eliot had followed him out to the car and concern for the Hitter's safety filled him. He forced himself to the edge of the bed and stood shakily before stumbling out of the room.

"Nate…what are you doing…?" Sophie said as she saw him stumble out of the room teetering dangerously. Eliot beat her to the punch as was at the Masterminds side steadying him and leading him to the kitchen before she was out of her chair.

"Thanks Eliot." Nate said gratefully sitting down heavily.

"You shouldn't be out of bed." Eliot said sternly to him. "In case you hadn't noticed you nearly got blown to pieces."

"Yeah, I noticed…" Nate smiled. "Got any more of those pills?" He asked; his head was killing him.

"Only if you promise not to drink any alcohol…" Eliot replied ignoring Nate's disdainful look at his words. "I mean it Nate, you could have a concussion and if you are going to take pain medication and drink…"

"Ok I get it, just give me the pills." Eliot looked at the Mastermind but obliged, handing him a glass of water and two of the pain pills.

"Good…thanks…now can somebody tell me how in the hell somebody put a bomb in the car?" He asked echoing Sophie's initial question to Hardison just after the incident.

"He did it while we were at my apartment. Hardison caught him on a traffic cam." Eliot told him. "But before you get too happy…his face was hidden. No match on the bomb either, I found the detonator…he used a cellphone, but it doesn't match any one of the remaining seven suspects signature."

"Seven…I thought we had fifteen?" Nate asked confused by the sudden reduction in number of possible bad guys.

"Yeah…well comparing weight and height there were only seven left." Hardison said in explanation.

"Oh…" Nate said in understanding, he assumed Hardison had run an analysis on the footage he had from the cams to come to that conclusion. "So who's left?"

"No man…you need to rest. You took a good knock today and you are still recovering from a near fatal gunshot wound to the head." Eliot told the man and before Nate could say anything he followed up with the fact that the suspects and their profiles were not going anywhere. It was late and they all needed their rest.

"Come on Nate…let's go." Sophie said standing and helping Nate up. Nate did not have the energy to fight her or Eliot at that moment. The pain pills were kicking in and he was feeling very tired and sore. Maybe a goodnights rest would be helpful and tomorrow he could go over the suspects with fresh eyes.

"Ok…Ok…I'm coming." He smiled holding on to Sophie's arm for support. "Eliot, I want you in bed tonight…that's an order…you also need to sleep sometime." Nate said to his Hitter. He was aware that Eliot had not sleeping, but sitting up in front of the monitors. "And before you say it sitting in front of the monitors dozing off is NOT sleeping."

"I'm fine Nate…I don't need more than ninety minutes a night."

"Eliot…I'm not going to argue about this. Hardison's watch dog will wake us if there is any problem. Now go to bed."

"Ok…you are right. I'll get some sleep I promise."

Nate looked at his Hitter intensely. He was not sure that Eliot would do as he promised but he hoped he would. "Good, you two get to bed to…it's been a long day." Nate said looking at the other two members of the team. They both nodded their agreement. Nate smiled to himself then…when had become a parent again? He sighed heavily then turned towards his room with Sophie holding him.

"I need a shower…" Nate said as Sophie closed the door behind them.

"No way Nate…you can barely stand and I can't hold you up in the shower…" She could see rebellion in his eyes so continued. "If you insist, I'll get Eliot in here to help you." She said knowing he would never allow that. His pride would never allow Eliot to see him in a weak state.

"Fine…share a bed with a filthy person then." He said lying back in the bed. She sat down beside him and removed his shoes and socks, then his shirt and pants.

"You are fine…we can shower in the morning. Now let's just get some sleep shall we." She said making her way to her side of the bed and sliding in under the covers. She moved over to him and lay her head on his chest listening to his steady heartbeat.

"I could have lost you today Nate." She said her voice hitching with emotion.

"But you didn't…Sophie we will get through this, I promise." Nate said running his hand through her hair gently.

"We'll get through this in once piece, you promise me Nate. You have to take more care…this guy is after you and you are taking too many chances." She said raising her head and looking him in the eye.

"I can't promise that Sophie…" He said and seeing her eyes well with tears at the words he quickly continued. "But I do promise I will take more care…OK?"

"OK…I can't lose you Nate…" She whispered as she put her head back onto his chest and her eyes fell closed. Nate lay there just stroking her head gently until her breathing evened out and he thought she was asleep.

"I can't lose you either Sophie…I love you…" He whispered softly to the sleeping woman. "And maybe one day I'll tell you that when you are awake." He muttered sadly to himself. He did not see Sophie's smile as she heard the softly spoken words. He does love me she thought as she drifted into a deep peaceful sleep.

**Well that is the end of chapter four. What further ordeals will Nate have to face. Will Eliot be able to prevent any more harm coming to him? Will the team figure out who is doing this before it is too late? Thank you for all the reviews…Sphinx and stella as always your support is greatly appreciated. huttonfan, Kristin and livestar I hope you are still enjoying the story. I will try to post the next chapter as soon as possible.**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Eliot came from deep sleep to totally awake as the alarms echoed throughout the building. He was at Hardison's computer just in time to see the black-clad figure disappear from view. Within minutes the whole team had joined him.

"He was here again." Eliot stated looking at Nate with concern as he spoke.

"Well isn't he the persistent one…I wonder what he left for me this time?" Nate replied his voice conveying none of the angst he felt. "Let's go and see shall we?" Nate said as he made a move towards the front door.

Eliot stepped in front of the Mastermind, effectively blocking his path. "I don't think so. You stay here; Parker and I'll go and see what it is." Eliot said his eyes warning Nate not to argue the point with him. The man had left something at the front door and to get there you had to pass through the bar area, which was exposed. Eliot was not going to allow Nate to put himself at risk like that. For a brief moment he thought Nate was going to challenge him on the issue, but then Nate's posture relaxed and he nodded consent at Eliot.

"Just be careful…both of you." Nate said quietly.

Neither Parker nor Eliot bothered to answer him as they moved toward the front area. They did not switch any lights on in order to pose less of a tempting target to anybody outside who might want to take a pot shot at them. Opening the front door they saw what had been left for Nate. It was a funeral wreath with a blown-up photo of Nate in the middle. It stood on a small tripod, just as it would at a memorial service. Attached to the tripod was an envelope which was addressed to Nathan Ford. Parker started forward to collect it but Eliot grabbed her hand shook his head slowly. Firstly he did not want to expose Parker any more than she already was and secondly he had no intension of brining the thing inside until he had assured himself that there were no explosive devices attached to it. After carefully checking it out he lifted the tripod up and carried it into the building. Parker quickly closed and locked the door after he was inside, then both of them made their way back to where the others were waiting for their return. Entering the room he placed the tripod down and removed the envelope intending to open it. Before he could do so Nate snatched it from him. Eliot glared at the man as Nate moved away from the group and smiled at Eliot.

"It isn't polite to ready other people's mail Eliot." Nate said softly.

The group collectively held their breaths as Nate carefully opened the envelope. He let out a soft sigh as nothing happened. He had half expected an explosion of powder to burst forth when opening it. He pulled out the neatly folded paper inside. Then opening it began to read the note.

'_I am impressed Mr. Ford that you would open this yourself_…' Nate looked up and around the room…it was like he was being watched even though he knew it was not possible. '_But then I would expect nothing less from you. Your concern for your team is truly touching. Fear not Mr. Ford, my only intention with them, my only desire for them, is that they will mourn your demise knowing that they failed to protect you, to save you. Their punishment is to watch you die slowly. Our game Mr. Ford has only just begun and let me assure you that in the end you will welcome death. You might even invite it in. Your team will not be able to protect you Mr. Ford. Although I have no desire to harm any of them physically, if they do unexpectedly come between us in our little game…well then I will have to take the appropriate measures. If you choose to separate yourself from them to spare them, I will take the appropriate measures. Until next time Mr. Ford…' _The note was not signed and it was in the same scrawled handwriting at the others.

Nate finished reading the note. He looked up at the four people watching him expectantly. Walking forward he handed the note to Eliot before heading into the kitchen to get himself a drink. Eliot watched him leave then looked down at the note and read it aloud for all of them to hear. Nate returned just in time to hear the end of the note again.

"So he wants me to suffer physically and you all to suffer mentally…this guy is quite a piece of work." He said as he sipped his drink.

Sophie watched him and although she did not approve of his drinking at two in the morning she understood why he was. "He must really hate you…really hate us." She agreed.

"He knows you and how you think, how you behave…he knows you well Nate." Hardison said. "I mean he knew you would open the envelope, he knew you would probably have tried to get away from us to take us out of the picture to…protect us."

Nate just looked at the Hacker. He was right. Mr. Whoeverhewas knew how Nate would react to a threat to the team, hence the warning not to try to leave. He knew he would not allow anybody else to take the risk of opening the envelope in case there was some sort of booby-trap. What else did he know about him, about the team? He had obviously observed them closely, over a period of time. He knew them. He was not only targeting himself but all of them. Him both psychologically and physically and them mentally…this was a sick little game and they were being forced to play, all of them were. Nate swayed slightly on his feet. He was still suffering the aftereffects of the explosion, coupled with the fact that he still had lingering effects from the gun shot. He felt weak, tired and…helpless. He realized that this is what the man wanted, he wanted Nate off his game; he wanted him off balance. He was at a disadvantage. He did not know who this was, how he operated. He could not analyze him and work out his weak points, his vulnerabilities. He was sure that his opponent knew his though, knew theirs and was exploiting their biggest one. How they felt about each other. He was putting Nate between a rock and a hard place. The note made it clear that if Nate left in order to protect the team, Mr. Whoeverhewas would target them. If he stayed and was not killed, the team would suffer; he knew they would blame themselves for not protecting him, not keeping him alive and safe. How was he supposed to protect the team, how was he supposed to compete evenly in this little game he was being forced to play.

"Well there is nothing more we can do tonight. I don't think he will be back again now." Sophie said. She had been watching Nate and saw him swaying slightly. He needed rest. He was being overwhelmed now, and he was drinking and he was probably still in pain…they could pick this up tomorrow again. She knew they were all going to need to be at their best if they were going to get out of this. If Nate was going to get out of this alive and they were going to come out of it sane.

"Yeah Nate…Sophie's right, I think it would be better for all of us if we looked at everything again in the morning." Eliot agreed; he could also see that Nate was close to collapse and they needed him to be functioning at full capacity to beat this guy.

Nate just looked at his Grifter and Hitter. They were right of course he thought. This guy would not be back tonight. He would let them stew, let them worry. He would want them off balance; want him off balance before he stuck again. He nodded and finished his drink. Putting the glass down on the table he turned and headed back to his room without saying a word. Sophie gave a knowing look toward Eliot before following him.

"Parker you want to give a hand and we go over the security again?" Eliot asked seeing that both the Hacker and the Thief had made no move to head back to bed. He knew they were too keyed up, just as he was. They were worried, scared. Nate meant a lot to them, to all of them.

"Yeah, and I'll go over the footage again, see if we missed anything." Hardison said, knowing that Parker was not going to go back to sleep now. Not after this, not after the note threatening Nate. He knew she had no regard for the threat to them, none of them had. She just knew that this guy was targeting Nate and she would do anything in her power to protect the Mastermind, they all would.

Sophie got Nate back into bed and snuggled up next to him.

"They aren't going to go back to sleep you know." Nate said to her.

"I know. They are worried and scared." Sophie replied. "Nate, I know you are too. I know you are worried about all of us, but we are going to need you at your best. We need you thinking clearly. You need to sleep Nate, tomorrow, tomorrow we can go over everything again. Please Nate…get some rest."

"I will…" Nate said hugging her tightly to him and kissing the top of her head. She snuggled close again and closed her eyes. Nate closed his eyes too and soon drifted into a restless, fitful sleep.

**Thank you all so much for the reviews…I really truly appreciate all your comments and kind words. **


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

It had been a full day and nothing untoward had happened. Nate was not sure if that was good or bad. The waiting and the expectation was worse than having to deal with a crisis, at least for him. He was getting nowhere with trying to determine who they were dealing with and it was driving him nuts. The only progress he had made was to determine, at least in his own mind, that he was the sole target. The team was just a happy by product for Mr. Whoeverhewas. Yes, they would not take it well if he were hurt or even killed. Yes, it would difficult for them and they will blame themselves for it. Ultimately though Nate knew it was him. This was about him. This guy knew that the team was Nate's main priority; their safety was paramount to him. That was why he had removed the option of leaving to protect them. Nate knew what it was like to lose someone you cared for and loved. The emotional fallout especially when you felt responsible for that person's death or injury could be enormous. It could destroy somebody's life. That is what it had done to him. It was worse than dying in many ways. Just the thought that he would be the cause of such suffering to the team sent a chill down his spine. This guy, he knew this. Nate was not afraid to die. He would gladly sacrifice his own life to save those of his team, his family. The problem was now he was placed in a position that if he did die, if he was not able to beat this guy, the fallout for his team would be…he did not even want to think about their reactions, especially Eliot and Sophie. They had all come so far in five years; they had grown and developed, both individually and in the team dynamic. They had learned to care for each other, and although Nate did not consider it a bad thing, he was now seeing what a liability that was for people like themselves. People like Parker and Eliot especially.

His real problem though was that he could not think of anybody who would be capable of pulling off such an elaborate scheme. It had to be somebody who had devoted a lot of time and effort to planning and now executing all of this. Some of their marks would definitely be able to do it, but none of them seemed to Nate as people who would be willing to put in the effort. They would put out a hit maybe, or even come at him straight on. This was devious, it was emotional and physically torture. Their marks were not the type of people to play at such elaborate, long term games. He could be wrong, look at Dubenich; he had spent three years planning his revenge. But then again it had been a straight 'go in for the kill' approach. Yes he had used his father, but only because Nate had not taken the initial bait. Everything else that had happened was fueled by the fact that Nate had not been killed as expected. This though, this was aimed at him, it was meant to torment him. His dying was not the ultimate aim, his suffering was. He had no doubt that Mr. Whoeverhewas' aim was Nate's eventual death, but that would be after he had destroyed him in other ways first. Nate had considered why he had not just simply killed a member of the team, Sophie for instance. But then he realized that that would have been too easy. It would have caused him great emotional pain yes, but he would have focused himself on revenge. He would have had some way to deal with her or anyone of the others' death. Now he had to worry about what will happen if this guy succeeds. If he was not good enough to beat this guy at his own game. How that was going to destroy the lives of the people he now considered family. He had made them into this family, he had made them learn to trust, learn to be a family. He had taken them from their lone wolf lives where their only concern was themselves. He knew they all had their own reasons for being alone; they had insulated themselves against the pain of losing anybody, just as he had. But together they had learned to care again, to love again. They had learned to rely on each other, trust each other. Now he was going to be responsible for their pain when they lost again, if he did not beat this guy, if he could not save himself, it would cost his team dearly. That is what this guy wanted. He wanted Nate to agonize over not being able to fulfill his part of the bargain, to be able to beat anybody, to win. He wanted Nate to die with that knowledge, the knowledge that he had failed them.

The sudden bustle in the room with the return of Sophie and Eliot brought him out of his thoughts.

"Nate…Nate…" Sophie called out to him.

"Don't worry Sophie, I'm still here." He said smiling sardonically at her as he entered the room. "So…have a good shopping trip?"

"Just groceries and stuff…Eliot didn't want to let me into the shoe stops…" She smiled touching his arm gently.

"Ah…how did he get that right…" Nate smirked at her eliciting a glare. "Don't worry Sophie…when this is all over I'll take you shopping." He said unexpectedly. She smiled at him and moved in to place a light kiss on his cheek.

"I'll hold you to that mister."

He simply looked at her a small smile playing on his face. God he loved this woman.

"Did you find anything more…?" Sophie said suddenly turning serious.

"No…nobody stands out." Nate taking a seat at the table and watching the two unpack their groceries. "Did you get my…"

"Here." Eliot said before he could finish his question throwing him the gum he had asked Eliot to get for him.

"Thanks. Need any help?" He asked as he took out a stick of gum and put it in his mouth.

"No, I got it covered thanks." Eliot replied as he unpacked another bag, leaving out the ingredients for the dinner he was going to cook for them.

"Ok then I'm going to go get cleaned up." He said giving Sophie a look that said he would like her to join him before moving towards their room.

"Just go already. I'll let you know when dinner is ready." Eliot said to Sophie as he saw her stare after Nate and then turn back toward him with a questioning look.

"Thanks Eliot." Sophie smiled at him. She and Nate needed some alone time and with Parker and Hardison still busy at the front now was as good a time as any. Sophie disappeared into the room and closed the door.

Eliot just smiled after them. He wondered when they were ever going to admit to each other and the rest of the team that they were a lot more than just 'friends with benefits'. Then he returned to making the evenings meal. It had become his duty, and his pleasure to make sure the team was well fed. He loved cooking, it was one of the only times that he truly relaxed and enjoyed himself.

Two hours later they were all seated at the table and having a normal 'family' dinner. Talk at the table was light hearted despite the situation with the normal banter between the group being thrown back and forth. After the meal things turned a little more serious as they discussed the non-appearance of their nemesis each of them wondering why he had not made a play for Nate again. Finally after lengthy debate and conversations about the would-be attacker they agreed to call it a night.

Sophie and Nate settled into bed. Nate had become increasingly restless toward the end of the evening and Sophie had noticed that he had been drinking an unusual amount of water. She had also noticed that his face had become flushed and now she could feel that his skin was hot to the touch. But he was not sweating for even clammy.

"Are you feeling alright Nate?" She asked concern in her voice.

"Yeah…just a little hot, must be being cooped up here all day." He said running a hand over his face. His skin felt dry and his mouth like it was full of cotton-wool. He was sure it was nothing and did not want to get Sophie concerned. "Let's just get some sleep shall we?" He said kissing her gently and pulling her close. They lay like that for a long while before both of them drifted into sleep.

Sophie awoke a few hours later to an empty bed. Nate had obviously gotten out of bed a while before because his side was cold. She lay listening for any sound of his presence in the room. Not hearing any she rolled over and turned on the bedside light. Sliding her feet into her slippers she made her way into the communal area to find that also deserted. Suddenly she became aware of sobbing noises coming from Nate's office.

"Nate…are…are you alright?" She called making her way as quickly as possible towards the sound. She stopped at the door to the office her face showing the horror and fear of what she was seeing.

"Nate, what are you doing…who are you talking too?" She asked trying to remain calm.

"Sam…Sam don't say that, don't say that…I love you, I didn't lie to you, please Sam…" Nate said tears streaming down his face as he spoke to the empty room.

"Nate…please…what's wrong?" Sophie asked moving towards him slowly. He turned to her and anger flooded his features.

"What are you doing here…go away…GO AWAY I SAID…" He shouted at her pointing the weapon he held in his hand at her head. "I am talking to my son…GET OUT."

Sophie backed away slowly. Nate was now waving the gun around violently. She did not want to take the chance that he could fire it off accidentally. Suddenly Eliot was at her side staring at the Mastermind who now appeared to be begging his long dead son to forgive him. He was clearly delusional and having some sort of terrible hallucination about Sam. Eliot moved Sophie behind him and entered the room slowly.

"Nate…why don't you give me the gun?" Eliot said softly trying to make his voice as soothing as possible.

"You…what are you doing here…take her and get out…I TOLD YOU TO GET OUT OF HERE…" Nate screamed at him waving the gun between Eliot and Sophie. Both of them clearly heard the cocking of the weapon and Eliot moved back to stand outside the door with Sophie and the other two team members who had joined them.

"What's going on? What is Nate doing?" Parker asked fearfully.

"I don't know Parker. Just stay back here, let Eliot handle it." Sophie said knowing that if anybody was going to be able to take the gun of a clearly insane Nate without hurting him it would be the Hitter. Eliot nodded his thanks to Sophie at the words and then looked back at Nate now concentrating solely on him.

"Sam…Sam I know I don't deserve to live…please Sam, please forgive me…" Nate said to his son whom he saw standing before him, accusing him of killing him and lying to him by telling him everything was going to be fine. "Please son…I'll do anything…anything for you." Nate pleaded.

"Nate…Nate its Eliot…can you hear me?" Eliot asked soothingly, he had seen this type of behavior before and his fear for Nate's life increased exponentially as he realized what was happening. "Nate listen to my voice…can you hear me?" Eliot said again softly. This time he drew Nate's attention.

Nate turned towards the Hitter the gun still firmly held and pointing at him. "Why are you here…did he tell you to come?" Nate asked the Eliot. "He didn't need to you know, I will do it, you don't need to." Nate said then turned back to the apparition of his son that he saw standing next to him. "Tell him son, tell him that I will do it, that I love you so much I will do it because you want me to." Nate said so lovingly to him it almost broke Sophie's heart. Nate then turned back to Eliot and a dark look came over his face. "I know…I know I don't deserve to live, not after what I did to him. I know it…don't you think I know it?" He sobbed looking directly at Eliot his eyes questioning. As he spoke he lifted the gun to point it at his head. "I am so sorry Sam…please forgive me son..." He whispered as his fingure tightened on the trigger. Suddenly there was a blur of movement as Eliot surged forward knocking the gun upward as Nate pulled the trigger. The bullet passed harmlessly into the ceiling as Eliot tackled Nate to the ground. Nate fought back screaming at Eliot that he had no right, that this was what Sam wanted. Finally it was over and Nate lay unconscious on the floor with Eliot positioned on top of him.

"What the hell just happened?" Hardison asked his eyes conveying the raw fear he felt at what he had just witnessed.

Sophie ignored the question rushing forward to the prone figure of Nate as Eliot untangled himself and stood looking down at the Mastermind.

"He's been poisoned…and by what just went on. I think it is something like BZ poisoning but I can't be a hundred percent sure." Eliot said in response. He was just glad that Sophie had found him when she did because otherwise…well Nate would be dead.

"Oh my God…is it…is it fatal?" Sophie asked as she lifted Nate gently into her arms and ran her hand gently across his face.

"Not normally…it's like a bad acid trip...But it depends on the dose he received." Eliot said frankly. "Let's get him back to bed and…and restrained…then we can talk." Eliot said noting but ignoring the sudden look of disbelief on their faces at his words.

None of them however question him and allowed him to lift Nate up and take him back to the bedroom. There he placed the man on the bed and ordered Parker to get him something to restrain him with. Parker hesitated only for a second before complying, she did not understand what was going on but Eliot must have a good reason for wanting to tie Nate up. After what she had just witnessed she knew he did. She returned in quick time with some rope and bandages. Eliot looked at her as she handed him the bandages with a quizzical look.

"To make sure the ropes don't cut his arms or legs." Parker said in response to the unasked question.

Eliot made quick work of securing Nate to the bed and then led them all back out to the kitchen. As they all took a seat at the table and before he sat down too, Eliot dialed a number on his phone. He quickly spoke to the person on the line telling them what had happened and what he suspected was wrong with Nate. The person obviously agreed to help and Eliot gave him the address before hanging up.

"Well?" Sophie asked as he joined them at the table.

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Nate seems to be in real trouble now. How are the rest going to cope with him being totally incapacitated. Is Nate going to be OK? How was he poisoned as was it really BZ? I will post the next chapter as soon as possible. Please review…all of them are highly appreciated and inspire me to continue with the story. Thank you to all of you who have taken the time to review the story so far.**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"Ok…I think Nate has been poisoned with BZ." Eliot told them.

"What is BZ?" Parker asked in a small frightened voice. The shock of what had just happened was setting in with her. Nate had tried to kill himself, he was screaming at them, not wanting them there and talking to his dead son. She had no understanding of what was happening, but it scared her silly.

"It's a poison…causes delirium and confusion…it was developed by the military years ago. I have called a buddy of mine, a doctor and he will be over soon. He will be able to tell us more then." Eliot said. He was not sure exactly how the drug worked but he knew what effects it had.

"But it won't kill him right?" Hardison asked. He too was still in shock from what had just happened with Nate but his main concern was that the man was not going to die.

"I don't know…" Eliot replied and seeing Hardison's eyes widen with fear he quickly added that as far as he knew it was not normally fatal. But it depended on the dose Nate had been given. They would know more when his friend arrived. As if on cue Eliot's phone rang. "He's here…I'm going to go let him in." Eliot said standing and quickly making his way to the front of the building.

Opening the door Eliot greeted his friend.

"Where is the patient?" Julius Stern asked immediately after shaking Eliot's hand in greeting. "I should have a look as soon as possible."

"This way…and thanks Jules." Eliot said leading the man through to the back and into Nate's room.

Nate was still unconscious and lay securely tied to the bed. Jules looked at Eliot with a cocked eyebrow.

"He tried to kill himself…" Eliot explained.

"Ok…well let me examine him…I'll be out to talk to you after." Jules said turning back to Nate. Eliot just nodded and left the room closing the door behind him.

Sophie watched him as he came back to the table and sat down heavily. "Who is he?" She asked the Hitter.

"He's a doctor friend of mine from my time in the service. He will know what to do." Eliot replied, he sounded exhausted and defeated.

"Ok…well I'm going to have some tea, anybody else want anything?" Sophie asked. She could not just sit at the table and wait. The image of Nate holding the gun to his head ready to kill himself dominated her thoughts and she was on the verge of totally breaking down. She decided to keep herself busy with something even if it was just making tea. Nobody answered her; they were all too caught up in their own thoughts of what had just happened. She sighed heavily and made her way to the kitchen area.

It had been almost an hour since Jules had entered Nate's room and still the door remained closed. The four people at the table sat staring at the door waiting for news, waiting for something. Finally Jules came out and made his way to them at the table.

"Jules…this is, these are my friends. Sophie; Parker and Hardison. Guys this is Julius Stern." Eliot introduced them and then fell silent waiting for Jules to give them the news they wanted.

"Ok…firstly it is definitely BZ poisoning. I would say he was exposed about seven to eight hours ago. Now I understand that he has already had an episode of hallucination. His body temperature his high and his pupils are dilated. He also has a very high heart rate, but that should slow down to normal and even drop very low in the coming hours. Do you know how much he was given?"

"No…we don't even know how he got it in his system." Eliot answered.

"Well, it is usually dispersed by aerosol, but I guess you all would have noticed that. Has he eaten anything in the last seven to eight hours that you guys haven't?"

"No we all had the same dinner…" Sophie said trying to think if Nate had eaten something different from them.

"He drinks…whiskey." Parker said also racking her brain to try to think what Nate did differently to all of them.

"And none of you have had any of that?" Jules asked looking around the table for confirmation. That could be the way Nate had ingested the poison.

"I did, I had a glass and Nate has not opened a new bottle since then." Sophie said scrubbing that idea.

Eliot was also thinking hard on what Nate had done differently to them then it hit him. "The gum…the gum I bought him." Eliot said moving quickly to retrieve the rest of the packet from Nate's bedside. He brought it back to the table and handed it to Jules. "It must be that."

"Ok…I'm going to take this back to the lab and have it tested."

"That's it…I mean what about Nate?" Parker asked sharply. This doctor had come here and looked at Nate for an hour and now is leaving.

"Well Parker, there is nothing more I can do for Nate. The poison has to work its way out of his system."

"Is there no antidote?" Sophie asked also concerned.

"Well yes but we can't use it in this case."

"Why the hell not…?" Hardison asked.

"Nate, he drinks right. He is an alcoholic?" Jules asked looking at the group for confirmation of what Eliot had told him.

"Ok…well the antidote works through the liver and Nate's liver is not in the best of conditions. Giving him the antidote could worsen the situation. Besides which, it takes multiple doses. The drug we are talking about only relieves the symptoms for about an hour and then it has to be repeated. It would be too much of a risk giving it to him. All you can do is make sure he is comfortable and secure. The delusions and hallucinations will probably increase from here, along with feelings of anxiety and paranoia. He might also behave irrationally and fly into rages. This will be intermingled with bouts of severe depression and uncontrolled crying. This is a very insidious drug, it affects his neurological functioning. I have brought a list of all the symptoms. The other major worry is that he essentially over-heats; this drug has a tendency to raise the body temperature to very high levels. I have given him a saline drip to ensure he stays hydrated. Now I need you all to understand, his level of consciousness will change, he will go in and out of consciousness, with bouts of delusions between. He will also experience restlessness, slurred speech and blurred vision. He might also have severe stomach cramping and nausea. He will fluctuate between being totally euphoric and relaxed to completely paranoid and anxious. He will also not believe he is ill at all and that you all are doing this to harm him. He will lose all his orientation regarding time and place. You should also be prepared for his reactions to you; he may swear and behave inappropriately. This also affects his short term memory, so he might not remember anything from up to a month ago. He will probably become angry with you and very combative. Finally you need to watch him closely, he could fall into a stupor and then coma, if this happens you should call me immediately."

"Nate…oh God…" Sophie whispered softly to herself listening to all the things that were still to come.

"How long until the drug works its way out of his system…?" Eliot asked.

"It differs, in most patients, thirty-six to forty-eight hours. Usually the patients fall into a deep sleep, with sudden reawakening's. He might display automatisms…his hands will open and close constantly like he is clawing something for instance. Also the paranoia might increase during the final phase. Eventually reorientation will occur."

"Then he will be fine right?" Parker said. All the little Thief wanted to know was that no matter what happened Nate would be fine in the end.

"There might be some lingering effects such as fatigue and some muscle weakness, anorexia, or lack of appetite and perhaps depression, but that all depends on the patient. Those might last for up to three weeks to a month." Jules said. "Now I want to get this…" He indicated the gum. "As well as the blood I have taken, to the lab as soon as possible so that we can get some idea of how high the dose was." Jules said looking at Eliot. "I will be back to check on him tomorrow afternoon. Until then, all you can do is wait it out."

"Thank you." Sophie said honestly, taking the man's hand in hers. "Thank you so much."

"It's a pleasure Sophie." Jules smiled at the woman then followed Eliot out of the room leaving the rest of the team to try to digest what they had been told and what was still coming.

Eliot made his appearance minutes later. "Ok…somebody has to stay with him all the time from now on. Jules also said we should keep an eye on his temperature, his blood pressure and his heart rate." Eliot looked at all of them before continuing. "This is going to be hard guys…Nate may say things that…"

"It doesn't matter." Parker interrupted him. They all turned to look at her. "It doesn't matter what he says or does…he is sick. He can shout and scream and call us names and do anything else, it doesn't matter." She looked down then, tears falling from her eyes, and for Parker that was not normal. "As long as he gets better I don't care." She said softly. Sophie smiled to herself, she wondered briefly if Nate had any idea how much he meant to them, to her, to all of them. She took Parker in her arms and held on to her tightly.

"You're right Parker it doesn't matter. Nate will get through this, with our help he will get through this. I promise you." She whispered to her holding her as a mother would when comforting a child.

"Ok…well…I'll take the first shift. Sophie why don't you take my bed, Hardison make sure the security is reset before you…" Eliot was interrupted by the sound of Hardisons watch dogs on his computers throwing out an alarm.

Eliot did not wait for Hardison to tell him what was happening he moved at lightning speed to the back door and threw it open. Still he was too late. He opened the door to catch a glimpse of a disappearing figure and decided that staying with Nate and the rest was more important than trying to run the guy down…he also needed to make sure that he had not left anything that could pose a physical threat to the team. Turning around he saw what the guy had left. It was a bunch of flowers with a balloon which read 'Bon Voyage'. The note attached said simply…_"I hope you enjoy your trip Mr. Ford…until next time."_

**Thank you all again for taking the time to leave your thoughts, comments and speculations for me. I really do appreciate it, every review means the world to me. **


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

As Eliot read the note he felt a cold fury rise inside him. His anger was born of frustration, fear and a feeling of helplessness he had never felt before. He just stood there staring at the note and the image of Nate holding a gun to his own head flashed through his mind. The fact that he had had to beat the man to unconsciousness made his stomach turn, although he knew it had saved Nate's life. Tears pricked at his eyes and he swiped them away angrily. He could not do this, he could not allow his emotions to enter this fray because if he did, if he did then he would not be able to function.

"Eliot…" Sophie asked pulling Eliot out of his thoughts.

"He was here…he left this." Eliot said, handing Sophie the note. He then moved back into the building and closed the door behind him.

Sophie took the note but did not read it immediately. She could read Eliot and she saw in his face his fear and his hopelessness. She could see he was trying desperately to hold his emotions in check.

"Eliot…" She said again to the Hitter.

"Sophie, not now OK…I need, I need a little time. Just give me some time alone please." Eliot said as he pushed passed her and made his way into the gym Hardison had built for him. He walked past Parker without saying a word, not trusting himself at this moment to speak. He knew he should stay there and be there when they read the note, but he could not, he had to calm down; he had to get his emotions in check before he did anything else.

Sophie followed Eliot but stopped when she got to Parker.

"What's wrong…what's happening?" Parker asked. Sophie looked at the young woman and realized the toll this was taking on her as well.

Parker had only just started to learn how to deal with feeling emotions, now those feelings and emotions were being pushed to the limit. Her fear of losing Nate, of not being able to protect him as well as having to cope with seeing the other members of the team melt down emotionally. Well it was pushing Parker to the limit. The fact that the Thief had not run away showed how much she had become bonded to this makeshift family of theirs. Sophie knew her instinct would be to run, to cut herself off, to protect herself from any emotional pain. But here she was trying to stay strong amidst the turmoil of what was going on. Nate had really done a number on all of them when he had made them into a family rather than just a team…when he had made them start to care. He had taken the one thing that all of them had used to protect themselves, their ability to worry only about themselves and not get involved. Their ability NOT to care, it was their wall, their protection and he had broken it down. She looked at Parker and the lost, frightened look on the woman's face nearly brought her to tears. But she knew she had to show none of her feelings, Parker was having a hard enough time dealing with her own; she did not need to try to deal with Sophie's as well.

"Eliot just needs some time, that's all Parker." Sophie said to her gently.

"Ok…" Parker said hesitantly, then seeing the note in Sophie's hand she raised her eyebrow. "What does this one say?"

Sophie looked down at the note in her hand. She had not read it yet, she was so concerned with Eliot and then with Parker that the note had remained unopened. She unfolded the paper and read the simple words and an anger as deep and chilling as Eliot's rose in her too. Parker noted the change in Sophie's expression and moved towards the Grifter.

"Sophie…what does it say?"

Sophie handed Parker the silently her face growing darker as she realized the callous and insidious nature of the words she had just read…Parker read it and her eyes opened wide and Sophie noted that her expression also changed from one of fear to one of anger. She looked at Sophie and in that moment Sophie saw something in Parkers eyes that scared her…pure unadulterated hate. Parker left without a word to go to Hardison who was sitting with the still unconscious Nate. Sophie stood for a moment unsure of what to do. She watched Parker leave but did not move to follow. Finally she moved to the kitchen poured herself a glass of whiskey, drank it down then in pure frustration and anger threw the glass against the wall shattering it. She stood for a while trying to get her emotions under control before making her way to where she knew Eliot was.

She found him where she knew he would go…in the gym. He was dripping with perspiration and as he hammered the heavy bag that hung from the ceiling she could hear him mumbling something. She stood at the door watching him for a few minutes. He did not even notice her presence. Finally she moved into the room and stood behind the bag.

"Eliot…"

"He had no right…he had no right to do this." Eliot said angrily to her. "When I took that first job, when…He had no right to make me…make me FEEL again." He said angrily thumping the bag for emphasis.

"Eliot…" Was all Sophie said as she stood and watched the Hitter melt down emotionally in front of her.

"Sophie…I didn't want this…I should have just stayed away…I should have left it as a walkaway…I shouldn't have allowed him to do this…I should have left…we shouldn't have come back…How could I have allowed this…I didn't want a FAMILY…I didn't want to CARE…EVER…AGAIN!" Eliot ranted hitting the bag harder and harder with each emphasized word.

"None of us did…even Nate. It just happened. Now we are stuck with it." Sophie said keeping her voice calm despite what she was feeling. It would not do Eliot any good for her to go into hysterics as well.

"Sophie I can protect him from physical danger…I can. I can't protect him from…this guy is…" Eliot stopped what he was doing and looked at her. "I don't know that we can beat this guy Sophie…I don't know that we can protect him, and if we can't I don't think…Parker and Hardison…This guy…I don't know." He said unable to clearly express what he was feeling. His fear for Nate, but also the other members of his family, the two who most look to Nate as…well as a father figure for lack of a better description, it was overwhelming him to the point where he could not think clearly. That in itself scared the Hitter more than anything else. He was a professional, he was the one who should always remain calm and fear should never play a part in his work. There was no place for emotions, but he could not hold them back…he could not be the cold, calculating Hitter he had been before all of this started. He could not do that because he did care, he cared about Sophie; Parker; Hardison and especially Nate.

"How do we fight this Sophie, how do we fight it…" He asked sinking down onto the bench and resting his head in his hands. The defeatism in his voice nearly broke Sophie.

"I don't know Eliot." Sophie said deciding that platitudes were not the best way to go at that moment. "I have no idea. One thing I do know is that I will die trying." Eliot looked up at her and saw the determination in her eyes. "He thinks he is better than us…than Nate. Well he may be cleaver and he may be…Eliot, we, as a team can beat anybody…Nate has proven that many times over…we will win, we just have to believe that." Sophie said not sure who she was trying to convince more, herself or Eliot.

"Can we Sophie…We have never dealt with somebody so…so…"

"Psychopathic…devious…cleaver…sadistic...unknown..." Sophie supplied.

"Yes, all of those…Nate can beat anybody, you are right about that. WE can beat anybody. The thing is Sophie this guy is an unknown quantity…how do you beat somebody you know nothing about? How is Nate going to be able to find his hook, his angle? We don't know who he is; we don't know why he is doing this, hell we don't even know exactly who he is really targeting." Eliot said.

"You are wrong there Eliot." Sophie stated and seeing Eliot look at her questioningly she continued. "He is after Nate. We just happen to be here. Of that I am sure. You don't go to these lengths unless you have pure hate in you…unless you are completely focused on destroying…not killing…destroying a person." Sophie's words hung in the air as they both contemplated what that meant.

"So…not one of our ex-marks then..." Eliot said weighing up what Sophie had said and coming to the conclusion that this was something beyond their realm…beyond just getting revenge.

"No I don't think so. This is somebody from Nate's past of that I am sure. I don't know who but I do know that Nate must have done something to him beyond just getting him put in prison, or even ruining his reputation. This guy is trying to break Nate…and yes, I think he does want to kill him, but that will only come when he is done playing with him. He is driving Nate to the point where he knows he cannot win, cannot defeat his enemy and cannot get away. That is where we come in. He wants Nate to realize that he cannot protect his family, protect us. He want's Nate to understand that as long as he is alive…this will continue." Sophie stopped. My God can that be what this guy is really aiming for. It makes sense. He does not want to kill Nate; he wants Nate to kill himself…to know that he is hurting his family if he is around and the only thing that will bring all of this to an end would be his death. What kind of a maniac were they dealing with if that was true?

"Sophie what are you talking about?" Eliot said not quite following her train of thought.

"Think about it Eliot. He is targeting Nate, but putting us in danger at the same time. Nate is more focused on protecting us than himself he is spending most of his time trying to figure out how to keep us safe. The note…that first note…remember what it said… '_You will welcome death…maybe even invite it in.'_ that is what he wants. He wants Nate to feel that the only way out of this mess is to end it. The only way to protect us is if he were dead. That will be his ultimate revenge…"

"But he is not targeting us…he has not placed any one of us in danger of being killed or even hurt…I don't understand it but…"

"That's the point Eliot. This guy knows that Nate is attuned to us, to who we are and to the fact that emotionally hurting us is maybe more destructive than physically hurting us. Nate feels responsible for our safety, for our happiness and our wellbeing. It hurts him to see us hurt. I think very soon this guy will move to place us in physical danger as well, that will be what he knows would be the tipping point for Nate…then he will probably spur Nate on to do what he wants him too… Sophie explained.

"What did Nate do to this guy?" Eliot breathed softly. If Sophie was right then Nate must have done something…something terrible. "But Sophie we went through all of Nate's stuff from IYS, I did not see anything that he did that would warrant this kind of revenge. Whoever this is must have spent a lot of time planning this as well. I just don't see any of the people Nate caught going to that kind of trouble, or having that kind of sadistic mindset." Eliot said thinking back on all of the criminals and others Nate had dealt with during his time as an insurance cop.

"There must be something else…something we are missing." Sophie agreed, she could also not see any of the people Nate had dealt with at IYS being capable of what was going on here. But there had to be, they had to have missed something.

"Ok…well why don't you finish up here and then go get some rest." Sophie said as she stood. "And before you say anything I need to be with Nate now…please Eliot, just get some rest, you can take the next shift." Eliot just nodded to her in response. "Good, our immediate priority has to be getting Nate through this; we need him if we are going to be able to figure this out. I will get the other two to get some rest as well and we can regroup in a few hours…OK?"

"Thanks Sophie I don't…"

"Don't worry about it Eliot…that is what families do…that is what we are here for…each other." Sophie said with a smile then turned and left to go to Nate.

**Do you think Sophie is right in her assessment? If so what do you think Nate could have done to make his nemesis go after him in such a way? Thank you all so much for your reviews…Welcome back from holiday carebear818 hope you enjoyed it. I will try to post the next chapter as soon as I can. Please leave me your thoughts, suggestions and even some speculation would be good…I really appreciate all of them.**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Six hours later found Sophie still sitting with Nate. Nate had woken and true to what the doctor had told them he had been combative and even downright cruel in his words to her at times. He flew into a rage when he realized he was restrained and she feared at one point that he was going to hurt himself trying to pull free. She had not tried to touch him but spoke to him calmly trying to soothe him. It did not work. His emotions and his mind were all over the place, he would plead with her to let him go because he was not really sick; then get angry with her when she wouldn't. Sophie had prepared herself for this and although it hurt to hear some of the things he said, she knew he did not know what he was saying or doing and that he would not even remember it when he came out of the narcosis. Eliot came into the room just as Nate was having a long conversation with Father Paul about…well about the team. It was as if Sophie was not even in the room, Nate did not acknowledge her presence nor that of Eliot's when he entered. He was too involved with his hallucination.

"You alright…?" Eliot whispered as he saw Sophie wipe a tear from her eye.

"Fine…it's just…hard. Nate is such a private man who…well he never tells us how he feels or how much he cares…but just listen to him." Sophie said as Nate continued his conversation with Paul. He was telling him how proud he was of Hardison, how much he had grown and that he thought he could be anything he wanted to be. He went on to talk about the team as a whole, how much they meant to him, how they had given him new purpose, new meaning to his life. Eliot smiled as he listened.

"It's a pity he is not going to remember a thing about this." Eliot said as Nate expounded on what he thought about Eliot. "I just came in to change the drip and tell you that breakfast is ready." Eliot said as he made his way to the other side of the bed. Just then he attracted Nate's attention. He saw Nate's face suddenly flood with fear. He tried to pull away from Eliot straining at his bonds asking Eliot why he was here to kill him. He pleaded with him, begging him to spare him because he had a wife and child. He was obviously seeing Eliot as the Hitman and the paranoia caused by the drug was driving him to believe that Eliot was there to kill him. As Eliot reached for the drip Nate started to cry and beg him not to kill him. Eliot tried to ignore it all. He knew it was the drug and not Nate talking. It still hurt though. "Maybe it is better he doesn't remember…" Eliot said with a sad smile as he finished his job. "Come on Sophie…let's get something to eat and then I'll take over." He said reaching for the Grifter to lead her out to the kitchen.

"Somebody should stay with him…" Sophie said hesitantly as Nate moved restlessly in the bed mumbling incoherently. Eliot was now forgotten and something else was filling Nate's crazed mind.

"It will be alright for a little while; we'll leave the door open. Sophie you need to eat and you need to rest." Eliot said as he pulled her up out of her chair.

"Ok…" She agreed looking down once more at Nate who did not even see her and then turning to go with Eliot.

"How is he?" Hardison asked as Sophie and Eliot sat down at the table. Neither one answered. "That bad…" Hardison whispered.

"It is going to get worse. You'll need to be prepared for if you stay with him…" Eliot said.

"Not if Eliot, when. You need to rest just as much as we do and…and we are…well he means as much to us as to you and Sophie." Parker said to him popping dry cereal in her mouth. "Besides like I said before, it doesn't matter what he says or does…he needs our help and we are going to give it to him."

Eliot just smiled at her and nodded. Hardison nodded assent at her words and Sophie looked at all of them with pride and gratefulness.

"So I had a look at the footage from the store you all bought the groceries from, but I could not see when the gum was swapped out." Hardison said to the group. He had not been able to sleep much and had spent a good part of the last two hours going over the recordings.

"Well we don't even know if it was the gum. Jules should get back to us today with that." Eliot said.

"Yeah well, I saw nothing on the tape that showed that anything had been tampered with, so if it was not the gum…well what the hell was it?"

"I don't know…maybe Jules will be able to shed some li…" Eliot was interrupted by a burst of maniacal laughter emanating from Nate's room. They all stopped and listened to the laughter, it reminded them of the time in the warehouse when they had done their first job, just before Dubenich had tried to kill them all. Eliot swallowed hard and then continued. "Jules will be able to tell us if we were right or not…until then, well we just have to wait." Eliot said trying to ignore the now soul destroying sobbing coming from Nate. God this was going to be hard…he looked around the table…on all of them.

"I think I should go sit with Nate…I'm done anyway." Parker said standing from the table. "No…I'll go Eliot." She said as Eliot made to tell her he was taking the next shift. "You go over the tapes with Hardison, maybe you'll see something we didn't." She said and was gone.

Parker entered Nate's room to find that the Mastermind had fallen into a very restless sleep. She pulled the chair up right next to the bed and reached out touching his hand. "Don't worry Nate we'll take care of you." She said simply then settled back into the chair for her part of the vigil.

"Guys, I am going to go get cleaned up and get some sleep…Eliot you will wake me if…?" Sophie asked.

"Don't worry Sophie; I'll call you if there is a problem. Jules should be here later this afternoon. I'll let you know when he arrives." Eliot assured her and the Grifter left for her room and some much needed sleep.

After cleaning up the dishes Eliot and Hardison headed back into the office area to go over the tapes again to see if Eliot saw something Parker and Hardison had missed.

"This guy is some piece of work." Hardison said running the tapes back. "I mean I get getting revenge on somebody, having them killed or even having their family killed, but this…this ain't human man."

"Yeah..." Eliot said simply looking at the Hacker. He knew this was hard on Hardison, hell it was hard on all of them, but Hardison most of all. He was the most 'innocent' of all of them. Parker, Sophie and himself had been hardened by what they had seen and done in the world before joining the team. Hardison, he had sat behind a computer and hacked. He had never really witnessed any true violence or perpetrated any. If they got through this…no when, WHEN they got through this they were all going to need a lot of downtime to recover. "We'll beat him though…he ain't won yet."

"Yeah…we'll beat him." Hardison said without much conviction. He turned back to the tapes. "Ok…here is the part where you and Sophie come in…then you go through the shelves…then you pay…then you leave." Hardison said watching the progression again. He knew the progression well now after watching it over and over. "Nothing…like I told you." Hardison said in a dejected voice.

"Run it again."

"Ok man but I'm telling you…"

"Dammit Hardison…I know ok. I know you are scared, we all are. I know you are worried about Nate and Parker…I know man, and it's ok. OK. It's ok to be scared but you have to keep the faith man. We are all together in this and you have to keep the faith that we will win, OK…You have to, for Parker man. She needs you to be strong, to believe that we are going to get through this…all of us. OK…?"

"Ok...yeah…for Parker…yeah…Eliot…" The Hacker looked at the Hitter and in that moment spoke more about his feelings than any words could do. "Thanks man." Hardison turned away from Eliot to compose himself and sniff back the tears that threatened to fall.

"Ok…now let's just go through it again." Eliot said pretending not to have witnessed Hardison wipe away the tears that had managed to escape.

Five hours later found the four members of the Leverage team and Julius Stern sitting around the table again. Jules had already been in to check on Nate. Nate's heart rate had returned to normal and his body temperature had also reduced slightly. He was satisfied that Nate was doing well considering.

"Alright, Nate's blood work came back and it showed a concentrated doze of BZ as suspected. The dosage though was not high enough to cause permanent damage and he should come out of it another twenty-four hours or so."

"Thank God." Sophie said softly.

"Now I also had the gum tested and it appears you were right Eliot, there was BZ present. Whoever did this though must be quite skilled as a chemist. Getting BZ into a formulation where it can be orally ingested is not the easiest thing to do. It is usually delivered through aerosol spray; that is how it was developed. It takes good lab work and knowhow to do this."

"So our guy is a chemist?" Hardison said making a mental note to cross check with all their potential suspects.

"Or knows one; a good one." Jules confirmed. Hardison nodded and mentally listed to also check all known associates for having any chemical background.

"The other thing that concerns me is that BZ was manufactured for the military. It is not commonly available outside of military labs." Jules continued.

"You saying this guy is ex-military or in the military?" Eliot said. Maybe they were wrong, maybe this was all aimed at him after all.

"Well either that or has contacts in the military." Jules said looking at his friend. "This poison is like nerve gas…the military guards those things well."

"Anyway I got to be going. He is going to go into the final stages of the poisoning soon. That means higher levels of paranoia and some muscle spasms. He will then fall into a deep sleep that will be the last phase before he orientates. Don't get too alarmed when that happens, it will seem as if he is comatose but he isn't. He will be like that for about three to four hours but when he wakes again, he should be normal. Of course there will be the lingering effects like I said, some muscle weakness and lack of appetite and so on. But Eliot you give me a call when he comes out of it and I'll be over to check him out."

"Thanks Jules…for everything." Eliot said as he walked the man out.

"Ok, I'm going to sit with Nate. Hardison why don't you see what you can find on ex-military chemists that have any links to any of us." Eliot said as he returned for seeing his friend out.

"Yeah…ok." Hardison said moving over to his workstation.

"I'll help…" Parker said bouncing along behind him.

"Eliot…would you mind if I joined you?" Sophie asked the Hitter. She did not know what to do. There was only so much time you could spend sleeping and she was not tired. She did not feel like reading or watching anything on TV. She would not be any help with Hardison. Mainly she did not want to be alone with her thoughts.

"No problem Sophie…" Eliot agreed. He wouldn't mind the company and he could see Sophie did not want to be alone right now. The both walked into the room to find Nate in the middle of a conversation with somebody about the pros and cons of drinking.

**Do you think that the bad guy is after Eliot or Nate? Will Hardison find somebody with a connection to one of their pasts? The next chapter will be up soon. I really want to thank all of you from the bottom of my heart for your kind words and encouragement. I really do appreciate each and every review left for me. Please keep them coming.**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

The next sixteen hours in the Leverage HQ was very quiet except for Nate's ranting and very tense. Each of the four members of the team took their turns to sit with Nate who was becoming more and more restless, paranoid and combative until finally he fell into the deep sleep that Jules had told them he would. Now they all waited for Nate to wake. It had been the longest two days any of them had ever experienced in their lives. All of them were gathered in Nate's room. All of them wanted to be there when he woke up. They sat talking softly to each other discussing what they were going to do when he did wake up. How they were going to make sure that Nate would be safe. Finally Nate started to stir.

Nate came awake slowly. He felt like he had been run over by a truck, his mouth was dry and his muscles were sore, his head hurt and worst of all he could not remember what the hell had happened to him. He tried to lift his hand to his face but found himself unable to move it more than a few inches. His brows knotted in confusion and he forced his eyes open to see what the problem was. Opening his eyes he looked down at his hand and saw that he was restrained with ropes. Confused he looked up at his team who all crowded around the bed.

"Welcome back Nate…" Sophie smiled at him.

"Sophie…" Nate said hoarsely…"What…"

"Sorry…Eliot said it would be better if we kept you restrained until we were sure you were…well you." Sophie told him.

Nate just looked at her and the rest of the team. They were all smiling at him happily as if he had just returned from a long trip or something. He closed his eyes and tried to remember anything. The last thing he remembered was going to sleep with Sophie curled up next to him. Obviously something happened between then and now.

"Just hold on…I'll get these off of you." Eliot said making quick work of releasing the Mastermind from his bonds.

"What happened?" Nate croaked…swallowing hard to try to get some moisture into his throat. Sophie leaned forward holding a glass of water in her hand and put it too his lips. He gratefully took a sip of the water and felt it slide down his throat. It felt really good and he greedily drank more.

"Thanks Sophie…now will somebody tell me what is going on?" Nate said feeling better after drinking the whole glass down. He tried to sit up but Sophie put her hand on his chest and kept him lying back.

"Just lie back Nate…ok…the doctor will be here soon to check you out." Sophie said holding her hand on him to emphasize her words.

"Just what the hell happened?" Nate said getting irritated by the non-response from any of them to his question.

"You were poisoned." Eliot said simply.

"Oh…" Nate said letting out a breath and closing his eyes. "How long…?"

"You've been out for almost two days." Eliot replied.

"What poison…?"

"BZ"

"Oh shit…what did I do?" Nate asked. Although he did not know precisely what BZ poisoning did, he knew it was a hallucinogenic. It would also explain the restraints. He suddenly had a chilling thought and opened his eyes wide looking at each of the people around the bed trying to determine if they carried any injuries.

"Did I…did I hurt anybody?" Nate asked weakly.

"No Nate you did not hurt anybody." Sophie said looking into his eyes and seeing the concern and his fear for them in the perfectly blue orbs. "I promise you Nate…you did not hurt anybody ok?"

"Ok" Nate said letting his head settle back on to the pillow and closing his eyes. God he was tired.

"Ok guys…let's leave Sophie and Nate alone shall we?" Eliot said ushering Parker and Hardison out of the room. Sophie looked her thanks at the Hitter and he smiled back at her in return.

Nate watched him leave and close the door before speaking.

"Sophie…what did I do?" Nate asked her his eyes boring into her.

"Nate…"

Sophie…I know that BZ is a hallucinogenic and I know what people do when under the influence of those. Top that BZ is also a drug that makes you aggravated and paranoid, I was restrained which means I posed a threat…so I'll ask one more time…what did I do…?"

"You…you tried to kill yourself..." Sophie said the image of Nate with a gun to his head flashing through her mind and the sting of tears burning in her eyes.

"Oh…thank God…" Nate whispered and lay back in the bed.

"And just what do you mean by that Nathan Ford…Is killing yourself acceptable, because I'll tell you it's not…Nate…" Sophie ranted wanting to strangle the man.

"No…no Sophie…it's just that I was afraid I had tried to hurt…you…or…them." Nate said trying to calm Sophie down.

"So its ok for you to hurt yourself is it?" Sophie said her anger flaring again.

"That's not what I meant…" Nate said as he lay back in the bed and closed his eyes against the sight of Sophie so distraught and angry.

"Ok…ok…Its Ok Nate…I'm sorry…I just…well you scared the hell out of me seeing you ready to…I…Nate…" Sophie said calming down slightly. She understood what he meant, but just the way he said it, as if it would have been alright for him to kill himself…it scared her.

Nate opened his eyes and looked at the Grifter. Tears were forming in her eyes and one escaped and slid down her cheek. He reached his hand up and cupped her cheek wiping the tear away with his thumb.

"No…I'm sorry Sophie…the last two days must have been hell...on all of you. I'm sure I said some things that were…well…" He said with a heavy sigh. This was all his fault. He was the cause of her tears, her anger, her fear. The worst part was he had no idea how he was going to bring this all to an end, without putting them in even more danger, putting her in danger.

"What you did or said in the last two days is forgotten Nate…nobody, none of us, are going to hold anything against you if that is what you are worried about." She said seriously. She knew he was going to fret about what he had said to them, and about them in the last two days and she wanted him to understand that he did not have to.

He gave her a grateful look and smiled lovingly pulling her hand towards him and kissing it gently. Sophie moved off her seat and slipped onto the bed with him, resting her head on his chest and listening to his steady heartbeat. It always seemed to calm her when she lay like this with him. His hand automatically went to her hair and he gently and lovingly stroked it.

"I don't know what to do Sophie…" He whispered.

"You'll think of something, you always do." She raised herself up on her elbow and looked him in the eye. "We have faith in you Nate…I have faith in you." She said leaning in to kiss him on the lips.

Pulling away from his lips reluctantly she resumed her position with her head on his chest.

"This Mr. Whoeverheis…he is good Sophie, really good." Nate said softly. "I don't know how to…well I don't know if I can beat him. The thing is Sophie…" Nate sighed heavily before continuing. "The thing is, if I stay here…he is going to come after me again and that will put all of you in danger. If I leave he will go after one or all of you anyway…" Nate said shaking his head in despair. "I don't know what to do."

"Well you are not leaving…you know we will find you anyway. We are a team Nate. No we are a family. Those three people out there would walk through the gates of hell for you and you know it. We will face this together, all of us. Anyway that is not an option open to you…" Sophie said pulling away from Nate and sitting up. She was afraid of where Nate was going with this logic and his next words confirmed her fears.

"Sophie…you don't understand…this is never going to end, not until I am dead." Nate said also pushing himself up into a sitting position facing his Grifter. "This guy is never going to stop. You know it, I know it and they know it. The only way this things ends is with me dead. I just don't want the rest of you to be killed in the crossfire." He said his eyes never leaving hers.

"That's not going to happen Nate, neither you nor I or any of us are going to be killed…we will find a way to beat this guy…you will find a way Nate. You are wrong…the only way this ends is with us beating him." Sophie said her emotions rising within her again. "Just promise me Nate, promise me you will never, never… give in to this maniac…" Sophie said realizing that she was not wrong in her assessment of where he was going with his thoughts. It was where she had known he would, where she was sure this sadistic bastard had hoped it would go. Well she was not going to allow that…they would not allow it.

"Sophie…" Nate stared to say but she put her finger over his mouth to silence him.

"Never Nate…don't even contemplate what I think you are contemplating, because Nate…I will NEVER forgive you if you go that route…do you understand." Sophie said firmly.

Nate just looked at her and smiled a sad smile. "Understood…" He whispered softly pulling her too him and kissing her passionately again.

They pulled away from each other as a knock on the door interrupted them.

"Come in…" Sophie called climbing off the bed and moving to stand at Nate's side.

"Sorry to interrupt…" Dr. Julius Stern said as he opened the door.

"No problem Jules…Dr. Julius Stern…Nate Ford…" Sophie introduced the two then leaning into Nate told him she would be outside when they were finished. She smiled at the doctor and left closing the door behind her.

"Nate looked at the doctor and smiled a welcome. "Dr. Stern…"

"Jules…just call me Jules. Now let's take a look shall we...you've been through quite a lot in the last few days Mr. Ford." Jules said as he made his way to Nate's bedside.

"Nate…"

"Nate it is then…just lie back now and let me check you out ok…" Jules said taking out his equipment.

Once Jules had finished his physical exam he sat down on the chair next to Nate's bed.

"Ok…firstly you are going to experience some lingering effects from the drug."

"Such as…?"

"Extreme fatigue, lack of appetite, muscle weakness, bouts of dizziness, as well as having trouble concentrating and even some difficulty remembering things to name a few. Now these should fade in a few days…I'd say in about a week you will be as good as new. The dose was not high enough to have any lasting effect on your system."

"Ok…well that's good news." Nate said simply. He was not overjoyed at the doctors words…he needed to be at his best now, not in a weeks' time, not with this madman around.

"I have some tablets that will help, but really the only thing that is going to help is if you stay in bed and rest." Jules said.

"Thanks Jules…for everything you have done." Nate said sincerely to the man.

"It was my pleasure Nate…unfortunate circumstances aside; it was a pleasure to meet you. I have known Eliot for a very long time, since we were kids, and I am just happy he has found himself a family. I do believe that you are responsible for that." Jules said making Nate smile slightly. "Anyway…I better go out and brief them on your status…" Jules said then shook his head as Nate tried to sit up in the bed. "No Nate…you need to rest like I said." He told the Mastermind then added with a sigh…"At least for a few days…alright."

"Ok..." Nate said reluctantly and more from the wave of dizziness that swept over him he lay back in the bed and closed his eyes. He was tired, and sore…perhaps a little sleep wouldn't hurt.

Jules packed up his equipment and left the room quietly, Nate had drifted into sleep already and he did not want to wake him. Coming out of the room he was met by four very anxious sets of eyes. He sighed again and sat down at the table laying out the situation and Nate's condition to the team.

"Just make sure he gets as much rest as possible…and try not to let him drink too much." Jules said to Eliot as he walked his friend to the door.

"Ok…" Eliot said knowing full well that as soon as Nate was fully awake he would probably head straight for the whiskey and there was no way they were going to stop him.

"I don't mean stop him from drinking Eliot…his body could not take withdrawal as well…" Jules clarified his request. "Just make sure he doesn't overdo it Ok."

"Ok…thanks again Jules."

"No problem, just call if there is anything else."

Eliot closed the door behind him and made sure it was securely locked. He then made his way back to the others who were all still sitting around the table. Sophie had checked on Nate but the Mastermind was now sound asleep. She thought it would be best for him to sleep as long as possible, because when he woke up properly, she knew that rest was not going to be on his agenda.

**Ok well Nate and the team have made it through that storm but what is still to come? Will Nate be able to figure out who is doing this before his attacker strikes again, considering his weakened condition? What tactic will the man use to come at Nate and the team now? Thank you for all your reviews…please keep them coming, I really, really appreciate all of your feedback **


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

It had been three days, three long days since Nate had recovered from his bout of BZ poisoning. The team had been cooped up together with little to nothing to do except wait for the next attack on Nate. Eliot had determined that the risk of keeping the bar open was not worth it so it remained closed. Nate had spent his days trying to glean something from the little information they had. He had watched and re-watched the security footage from the store Sophie and Eliot had bought the gum from, but had found nothing. He, along with the rest still had no idea how the gum had been switched out or by whom. Eliot and Parker had spent their time making sure that the security was in order, checking the perimeter and generally just hanging around Nate. Actually all of them had been hanging around him. There was not a minute of the day that he was left to his own devices. Hardison had spent his time going through the footage with Nate or just working on his computer trying to narrow down the list of possible suspects further. Nate however did not bother with that because he was quite sure that the pool of suspects they had were not the perpetrators of this attack. No this was somebody a lot more sophisticated than those left on the list. Sophie had just been around, staying within spitting distance of Nate at all times. It was quite frankly driving Nate crazy. Actually they were all going a little stir crazy. The fact that he had been effectively locked up here in this place by his team was bad enough. But the level of tension, tension born of boredom and frustration that permeated the place was down-right suffocating.

Nate lay in his bed next to a sleeping Sophie contemplating all of this. Turning his head he looked at the clock. It was two am. He was tired but could not sleep; his mind was trying to sort out all the different scenarios. How would Mr. Whoeverhewas come at him again? When would he make another appearance? How was he going to stop him from harming the team? He sighed lightly and pushed himself up swinging his legs over the side of the bed. Rising silently he grabbed his T-shirt and putting it on made his way out of the room closing the door softly behind him. He made his way into the kitchen and poured himself a glass of whiskey. He knew he should not be drinking, especially at this time of the morning, but he needed a drink. Taking the full glass he made his way over to the screens and picked up the remote. He switched to the surveillance cameras going through each room. There was only silence and emptiness. He was actually quite grateful for the silence. For the time alone, he had not had any of that for the last three days. He moved over to the couch and sat down sipping his drink and contemplating everything that had happened so far. What did they know? Not much he had to admit. They had theories and speculation and that was all. He finished his whiskey then sat back on the couch and closed his eyes. Suddenly his phone began to buzz.

Nate sat up and quickly picked up the device. A message flashed on the screen telling him that he had an incoming text. Opening the text up he read the message.

'_Mr. Ford…I am so pleased you made it through your little ordeal. The game Mr. Ford has only just started though and let me assure you that the stakes will be raised from now on…Until next time.'_

Nate read the message again. Although essentially benign it had an ominous tone to it. _'The stakes will be raised…'_ What the hell did that mean? Did that mean Mr. Whoeverhewas was now going to go after his team? Nate got up and walked to the kitchen reading the note again his mind going to places he did not want to go. He poured himself another drink and sat down at the table. For the first time in a long time Nate felt utterly defeated. He was at the mercy of a madman who seemed to be one step ahead. He had Nate, and the team, at his mercy. Nate did not like the fact that they were relegated to reacting to what this guy did. They should be on the attack; that is when they were at their best. But to attack you had to have something, someone to target. They had nothing.

"Nate…Nate…oh…there you are." Sophie said as she came out of the bedroom and saw him sitting at the table with a whiskey glass in his hand. "Bit early don't you think?" She said eyeing him with disapproval. She had woken to find Nate's half of the bed empty. She had panicked momentarily remembering the previous time that had happened and gotten quickly out of bed to go find the Mastermind.

Nate said nothing just looked at her and took another sip of his drink. She went to put the kettle on to make tea and then sat down next to him.

"Nate…are you alright." She asked him as she watched him down the rest of his drink.

Nate did not reply he merely handed her the phone then stood to go make her tea for her and get himself a cup of coffee at the same time. Sophie read the message then put the phone on the table. She watched him move around the kitchen preparing the drinks and then watched as he walked back to her. She could see he was tired, no exhausted would be the word. She could also see the worry and tension in his face. She took the tea mumbling her thanks and waited for him to start talking. Before Nate could say anything his phone began to ring.

Nate picked up the phone and seeing who the caller was his eyes filled with fear and he quickly answered.

"Maggie…Maggie what's wrong…?" He said urgently to the woman on the other side of the line.

"Nate somebody…somebody broke into my house and left something for you." Maggie said to him, he could hear that she was shaken and wished he could reach out and hold her.

"Maggie…are you ok…Mags…?"

"I'm fine Nate…he…he didn't do anything to me, just told me to give you a package and that I should not open it myself."

"Mags where is the parcel now…?" He asked his blood boiling at this turn of events but trying to keep his voice calm.

"In the study…I didn't want to open it…he was quite…adamant." Maggie said.

"Ok…Maggie I want you to get out of the house…go to your neighbors…or your parents, just go now…OK." Nate said urgently. "Just leave Mags…now ok, don't take anything with you and don't go near that package. I will be on the next plane out."

"Nathan…what is going on?" Maggie said her voice filled with fear.

"I'll tell you when I get there, for now just go. And Maggie, be careful ok." He said softly.

"Ok Nate…just get here soon." Maggie said. Something was very wrong and she wanted to know what but the urgency in Nate's voice told her not to ask now. He would be there soon and then he would have to give her some answers. She put the phone down and picking up her car keys left the house.

"Sophie go get Hardison and Parker up. Tell them to pack for a trip and tell Hardison we need five tickets to LA as soon as possible…no scratch that, get him to organize a charter flight now." Nate instructed her as he moved swiftly to Eliot's room to get the Hitter up.

Within the hour the five of them left Leverage HQ headed towards the airport. Hardison had arranged for an airplane to be waiting to take them to LA. Sophie was on the phone with some contact of hers organizing a safe house for them when they arrived and Hardison was on his computer trying to backtrack the origin of the text message Nate had received. Nobody spoke as they sped along with Eliot making as fast a time as possible. Nate sat looking out the window staring into the distance. Now he was going after Maggie…Mr. Whoeverhewas was right Nate thought, the stakes had just got higher...

**Thanks for the reviews…please keep them coming I appreciate all of them greatly. I will try to post the next chapter soon…**


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

**Just let me say a big SORRY to everybody for the oopsie on the previous chapter…I don't know what happened…Hope it did not affect your enjoyment of the story too much. To all of you who let me know of the error thank you…I hope you enjoy chapter 12.**

After arriving in LA the crew took the car that Hardison had rented and headed straight for Maggie's house. Nate called her to let her know they had arrived and that they were going to go directly to the house. Maggie insisted on meeting them there much to Nate's opposition. He wanted Maggie as far away from this as possible, but he knew when to stop arguing with his ex-wife so acquiesced to her on the point.

Arriving at Maggie's place Eliot immediately secured the perimeter and Parker picked the lock to let them in.

"Ok…Maggie said the package was in the study…" Nate said leading them into the house and to the study. Sophie noted that Nate was quite familiar with the layout of the place but decided not to pursue that particular issue, well at least not just now.

Stopping at the door to the study they all looked at the large brown box that was placed on desk. Nate started forward but Eliot held out his hand to stop him. Nate frowned at the man but allowed him to check the package first. He ran a device over it. Nate assumed it was something Hardison had to determine if explosives were involved. When he had finished he looked at Nate with a question. Nate smiled at the Hitter knowing he did not want him to open it, but stepped forward anyway.

"It was meant for me…he made that quite clear to Maggie, Eliot, so I'll do the honors." Nate said. He took the letter opener off the desk and then looked at his team before continuing. "Maybe you guys should wait outside." He said, he knew he was wasting his breath but felt he had to try. When none of them made a move to leave the room he sighed and turned back to the package. Carefully cutting the tape at the top he lifted one side of the lid and then the other, exposing the inside of the box to his view.

"There is nothing inside…It's empty…" He said. As he lifted the box up and turned it over in his hands.

"I don't understand…why go to all this trouble to leave and empty box?' Hardison said confused by this turn of events.

"Because he wanted Nate here…" Eliot said thoughtfully. "He wanted Nate in LA. Parker check outside, Hardison do a sweep of the place for electronic devices or any explosive devices, Nate you stay low and Sophie help me with the curtains will you." Eliot said to the Grifter. The others sprang into action obeying the Hitter's instructions without question.

Nate watched them all scatter to do what Eliot instructed and then turned back to the empty package. Why would Mr. Whoeverhewas want him here in LA? His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a car pulling up outside. Maggie…he thought immediately and started for the door.

"No Nate…you stay here, I'll go get her." Eliot said pushing past the Mastermind and out to the driveway. Nate did not follow even though he wanted to. He knew Eliot was right, and besides if this guy wanted to take a pot shot at him, Maggie might get caught in the crossfire.

Eliot moved swiftly out into the driveway and ushered Maggie quickly into the house.

"Eliot what the hell is going on?" Maggie asked as Eliot took her arm and propelled her into the house, closing the door behind him.

"Maggie…are you alright?" Nate asked moving forward and taking a flabbergasted Maggie into a hug.

"I'm fine Nate…but if you don't tell me what is going on you might not be." Maggie said pulling away from him and looking him in the eye with a look that Nate knew all too well.

Just then Parker re-entered the house confirming to Eliot that there seemed to be no discernable threat outside. Hardison also finished his sweep, reporting back to the Hitter that there were no electronic devices or explosive devices present. Maggie listened to them and then looked at Nate again.

"Well…Nate?" She said.

"Come sit down Maggie and I'll fill you in…ok?" He said leading her and the rest of the team to the dining room table where they all took a seat.

"Ok Nate, no more stalling…just tell me what the hell is going on." Maggie said as she took her seat opposite him.

"Right…well where do I start…Ok…well about a week ago a guy started taking an interest in me…"

"What sort of interest?" Maggie said, she did not want the watered down version, or the 'let's not scare Maggie' version, she wanted the truth.

"He wants to kill Nate…Well no he wants to hurt Nate…no, he wants to…well we don't exactly know what he wants to do with Nate…" Parker supplied earning herself a glare from the Mastermind.

"Oh my God Nate…" Maggie gasped.

"Calm down Maggie…He is playing a game with me…and now he has you involved…I am so sorry for that." Nate said. Maggie looked at him again, this time more closely. She could see a fresh scar on his forehead and a slight bruising as well. She also noticed now how tired he looked.

"What has he done…apart from this little antic?" Maggie asked.

"Nothing much…just threats really…" Nate started to say when Maggie interrupted him.

"Nathan Ford, I can tell when you are lying…now I want the truth…what has this guy done and why?" Maggie said to him.

"So far, he has taken a shot at me…meaning to miss though…" Nate pointed to the fresh scar on his head... "And he put a bomb in the car…but detonated it when I was well out of range of being seriously injured…" Nate said not wanted to go into the whole BZ poisoning part of the story. "So you see…he is playing with me. As to the why…well we don't know."

"Toying with you more like…is that all…?" Maggie asked him.

"Well apart from this little stunt…" Nate replied giving Parker a look which told her to hold her tongue or else. A look that Maggie did not miss…

"You're lying to me Nate…now what else did he do…" Maggie looked at her ex-husband and her face softened slightly. "Nate whether you like it or not I am now involved and I need to know everything." Maggie said softly reaching out and placing her hand on his.

"He poisoned me…" Nate said simply. She did not need to know the details of that particular affair, especially the part where he tried to kill himself.

"Ok…is that it?" Maggie said sensing that Nate did not want to go into details of that. She would get them anyway, either from Sophie or from one of the others later.

"So far…now it seems he wants me here in LA for some reason and he has used you to get me here." Nate confirmed. "Do you have some whiskey…I need a drink."

"Yes…I'll get you a glass." Maggie said deciding not to challenge him on the drinking at the moment. She had not seen him since the Dam Job and had hoped that he had stopped since then, but obviously that had not happened. She poured him a glass and returned to the table.

"Maggie did you see the guy, can you give us a description…?" Eliot asked her as she took her seat again.

"No…he kept the room dark and he was dressed all in black with a black balaclava on over his face." Maggie replied. She told him her estimated height and weight but that was all she had. Hardison nodded as she spoke.

"Yeah, that fits with what we have…" He confirmed to Nate and the rest.

"So what now…?" She asked.

"Now you go back to your parents' house, and stay there until this is over." Nate said taking a long sip from the glass she had placed in front of him.

"I don't think so Nate…" Maggie replied.

"Mags…I don't want you involved in this."

"It doesn't matter what you want Nate, I am involved, this guy has involved me. I am not going back to my parents and potentially putting them in danger as well. What if this guy comes after me there…No Nate, I am now with you lot for the duration." Maggie said and her tone of voice indicated that she would brook no argument on this point.

"Maggie is right…this guy has involved her and she will be safer with us now." Eliot agreed with Maggie's assessment. Nate knew they were both right, he just didn't like the idea.

"Ok well shall we get going then…?" He asked as he stood from the table. Sophie had organized a safe house and the sooner they got there the better.

"Right, Sophie, why don't you guys go out to the car so long with Maggie…we'll be right behind you. It's also probably better if you guys ride in Maggie's car, we'll follow you. Parker, Hardison…check it before anybody gets in OK?" Eliot said softly to the two as they left following Maggie and Sophie out.

Once they were all out the door Eliot and Nate watched them climb into the car and start it up. Eliot then opened the door to the house carefully and looked around for any sign of danger. Seeing none he pulled Nate by the arm indicating that they should get to the car quickly so as to pose less of a target. Getting into the car Eliot started the engine. Sophie drove Maggie's car and led the way to the safe house which was on the other side of town from where Maggie lived. It was a tense drive, Eliot was hyper-alert and treated every car, every person as a threat. Once at the house they all made it inside quickly. Eliot and Parker once again doing the security checks around the premises, Eliot noted all the blind spots and possible angles of attack. Hardison tapped into the already very good security system that was in place making some adjustments of his own. Sophie had managed to get a really secure building for them to use and all the security was in place within two hours of arriving.

"Now what do we do…?" Maggie said as they all regrouped in the living room.

"Now we wait for him to make the next move." Nate said simply.

They did not have to wait long as Nate's phone buzzed indicating another message. Nate opened the text and read it out loud to the group.

'_Welcome to California Mr. Ford…you have a lovely ex-wife by the way; I look forward to seeing her again. Tell Sophie I approve of her selection of safe houses. Until next time…"_ The message finished with the in the usual way.

"Ex-Wife…why does everybody forget to say ex-wife…" Sophie said in an exasperated tone, trying to lighten the mood.

Nate just looked at her, he knew she was not jealous, her and Maggie had become friends, good friends that he knew. Maggie was also aware of his relationship with Sophie and was fine with it; in fact pleased would be the right word. All Nate could think of was the message… Mr. Whoeverhewas knew where they were and more disturbing was the… _'I look forward to seeing her again'_… Maggie was right; this guy wanted her involved, but why…?

**Hope you enjoyed. This is getting very complicated now. Why would their nemesis want Maggie involved? Did this have something to do with her as well or is he just trying to throw Nate off his game? Why does he want him in LA and not in Portland? I will post again soon. Thank you all for your reviews…please keep the love coming, I really do appreciate them all.**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

They were all quiet waiting for Nate to say something after he had read the message. The full implication had not set in with them but with Nate it had already and his brow furrowed in thought.

"Hardison…you need to check your security on our phones, all electronics…everything…NOW." Nate said.

"Nate I'm telling you man…" Hardison started to say wanting to defend himself, there was no way anybody had got through his security.

"Hardison…he knew that Sophie had procured this place for us." Nate said lifting his eyebrows at his Hacker.

"Nate man…Oh…" Hardison suddenly stopped talking. The implication of Nate's statement suddenly hitting him…there was no way that anybody except the people in the car and whoever Sophie had made this arrange with could know that, unless… Hardison immediately set to work checking his security without further question.

"Eliot, you and Parker do another sweep…check for electronic bugs especially…and Eliot…check us too, clothes, shoes…everything." Nate told the Hitter. Eliot acknowledged the order and he and Parker set to work.

"Do you really think he breached Hardison's security…?" Sophie asked the Mastermind. She had complete faith in Hardison and as far as she was concerned there was nobody better…not even Chaos.

"I don't know Sophie…but he knew something that he should not have…not unless he has some sort of access to us." Nate said. "That is his first mistake…" Nate muttered as he went into the kitchen to retrieve himself a drink. He found the kitchen fully stocked for a stay, Sophie had seen to that, including his favorite Whiskey. Nate poured himself a glass and drank it down swiftly…he needed it, not only was his team in jeopardy but now his wife was too, and he still had no idea who this person was. He sighed heavily and then turned to go back into the living area where Sophie and Maggie were talking quietly to each other. He could see tears welling in Sophie's eyes and had an idea that she was filling Maggie in on what had happened in the last few days. He decided not to intrude so he turned back into the kitchen.

"Nate…yo Nate man…" Hardison called out from his seat in front of the computers.

"Hardison…" Nate acknowledged as he walked towards his Hacker.

"I found it man…I don't know how he got it in, and it was just blind luck now that I found it. He uploaded a virus…a virtually undetectable virus…into the coms…he can hear everything we say, everything man." Hardison said his voice low and earnest. He had let Nate down; he should have picked this up earlier, he was better than that.

"Into the coms not the phones…" Nate said thoughtfully.

"Yeah man…I need to collect them all…they are all compromised." Hardison confirmed.

"That's how he was tracking us to then…" Nate said thinking aloud. The GPS tracker that Hardison had installed in the coms would have told Mr. Whoeverhewas exactly where they were at any given time, as well as allowing him to listen in on their conversations. The group had followed Eliot's initial instructions to the letter. The coms had remained in and active unless they were sleeping…and even then he imagined Parker and Eliot at least did not remove them.

Eliot and Parker had reentered the room after completing their sweep to hear the last part of the conversation. "Dammit Hardison…" Eliot said to the Hacker.

"Eliot…it's not Hardison's fault…just give him the earbud…all of you." He motioned to all of them as he took his out and handed it to the Hacker. They all nodded and removed their earbuds handing them to Hardison who dropped them into the glass of water standing next to him.

"Ok…now that we have blinded him…let's see what his next move is." Nate said as the last earbud sank to the bottom of the glass.

**Sorry it is a very short chapter I know…I hope to post again very soon. Thank you so much all of you for your reviews…please keep them coming they are greatly, genuinely appreciated.**


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

"Ok…that's all of them. I'll get new ones ready but it's going to take some time…Nate…I…"

"It's not your fault Hardison…it's done, let's just move on ok." Nate said stopping him from apologizing again. This was not the time for recriminations, they had bigger problems.

"Ok…so we blinded him, now what…?" Eliot asked looking at the Mastermind.

"I don't know Eliot…we may have cut off his inside information but I got a feeling that he is still watching."

"So we move then…now that he can't follow us." Parker said.

"No Parker…we need him to come at me…"

"Nate…"

"Maggie, it's me he's after and we can't keep running. We need him to come after me…we need him to make a move, and hopefully a mistake."

"And what happens when he doesn't make a mistake?" Sophie asked softly.

"He'll make a mistake…"

"But what if he doesn't…" Maggie said a little more forcefully than Sophie had.

"Then…we are in trouble."

"Then you are dead…" Hardison said voicing all their thoughts.

"Yeah that too, so let's just make sure he makes a mistake." Nate said smiling at them. Then he turned and walked back into the kitchen to refill his glass leaving them to stare at his retreating figure.

"Eliot…"

"As much as I hate to say it Sophie…he is right. We need this guy to come after Nate, to show himself so we can take a run at him." Eliot said looking the Grifter in the eyes and seeing the fear in them.

"But what if he succeeds…what about then…?" Hardison asked a slight tinge of both anger and fear in his voice. Anger at the fact that Eliot was willing to take such a huge risk with Nate's life; and fear that he was right and it was the only way to bring this to an end.

"He won't…we'll make sure he doesn't." Eliot said his voice hard but the uncertainty clearly evident.

"And how do we do that Eliot…this guy has outwitted us at every turn, he has already proved he can kill Nate three different ways…now all of a sudden we are going to best him…and keep Nate safe?" Sophie said hotly. "How can you guarantee that…?"

"There are no guarantees Sophie, not from me or Eliot…" Nate said as he returned to the conversation. "The fact is that Mr. Whoeverheis is very smart, very cunning and very capable. The fact is we cannot even try to get the better of him until we know who he is. The FACT is that the only way we can get him to do that is to draw him out." Nate told her. "Now he is after me, that we have determined. The only person who can draw him out is me…."

"Nate…I…I know all of that but you are asking me…us…to offer you up to a maniac who has already nearly killed you three times…and we are supposed to be ok with that?"

"No…you are not supposed to be ok with it Sophie…but it is how it is." Nate replied. He knew this was killing her and he could see by the faces of the others that is was just as difficult for them, especially Parker and Hardison. Eliot he knew was not happy, but realized that this was the only way to get the job done.

"What exactly are you suggesting Nate…" Maggie asked. She had been listening to the conversation and she was not happy about where it was going. She knew Nate very, very well and knew that he would sacrifice anything to keep his people safe, including his own life. Although she had entered this whole saga very late Sophie had told her everything that had happened since the beginning.

"Why don't we just go back to the beginning and you figure out who it is from looking at your old files and jobs…you can do that here, or anywhere else…" Parker asked. Somewhere safe; where we can keep you safe. She did not say.

"Because Parker we have tried that. I don't know who this could be Parker and until I have some indication of that, I can't figure out his weaknesses, I can't figure out how to beat him." Nate said to his Thief. "Look guys…I am not happy about this either…I don't have a death wish, but it IS the ONLY way to do it, and you all know it." Nate said getting tired of the debate. Debating it was not going to change what was and what had to be done.

None of them responded to that. How could they. They knew; every one of them, that he was right.

"Ok...now that that is settled let's just get on with it. Hardison, are all my old files…and I mean everything from IYS and Leverage Inc. on the computer?" Nate asked his Hacker.

"Yeah…yes I put everything there." Hardison said demurely.

"Good…well I am going to have another look at them, maybe I missed something." Nate said heading into the little office they had set up in one of the rooms without saying another word.

"Eliot…can you protect him?" Maggie asked once Nate had left the room.

"I…I don't know." Eliot said honestly.

Again silence filled the room at Eliot's reply.

"We just have to try to make sure that he does not do anything too irresponsible…" Eliot continued only to be interrupted by Hardison.

"Like what…getting shot and then handing himself over to the authorities and almost dying…?" The Hacker said softly thinking back to the time on the Maltese Falcon.

"Yeah Hardison…like that..." Eliot said sarcastically. He did not like to be reminded of how Nate had conned them, yes he did it to safe them, to keep them, all of them, safe and free, but still, he did not like the way Nate had gone about it, not to mention the fact that it had nearly cost the Mastermind his life.

Their conversation was interrupted by the ringing of Nate's phone. They all moved swiftly to the office Nate was in to hear who it was and what they wanted. Nate looked at his phone, frowned slightly then looked up at his team and Maggie before picking up the call.

"Sterling…" Nate said standing and turning away from the group now crowding into the room.

**Another shortish chapter…please don't kill me. What do you think Sterling has to do with all of this, do you think he is the one behind it and if not how is he involved? How do you think the team is going to react to Sterling being involved in any way? Next chapter coming soon. Thanks for all the reviews…please keep them coming.**


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

"Nate…I need your help." The strained voice of James Sterling came over the line.

"Not now Sterling…"

"Now Nate…please he's threatening Olivia and…and I don't think I can protect her much longer." Sterling said sounding as desperate as he felt.

"What's going on Sterling…Jim?" Nate said suddenly very interested in what Sterling was saying and getting a bad feeling about it.

"I don't know…I…somebody is coming after me, I thought I could deal with it but he's threatening Olivia now and I just don't know…Please Nate I need your help." Sterling replied. He had no idea what was going on, all he knew was his daughter was in trouble and he was not capable of protecting her. He had tried, but now he needed help, and the only man he could think of was Nate Ford.

"Ok Jim, just slow down and tell me where you are." Nate said feeling Sterling's desperation coming through in his voice. "Tell me where you are and I'll come get you."

"I'm in my house…Olivia is here too. You need to hurry please." Sterling replied. Suddenly the phone line was filled with what sounded like gun shots then static and then the line went dead.

"Hardison…get me an address on Sterling…NOW." Nate said turning back to the group who were still staring at him. "Dammit Hardison…move."

"Yeah…ok…address on Sterling…right." Hardison said as he moved to his computer.

"What's going on Nate?" Eliot asked his voice calm yet foreboding, every time James Sterling was involved it meant trouble with a capital T and they had enough to deal with right now.

"I don't know…seems somebody is after Sterling…and Olivia. We are going to get them." Nate said moving towards the door as he spoke. "Hardison address…?"

Eliot moved in front of the Mastermind blocking his path. "You ain't going anywhere Nate. This could be a trap, he could be using Sterling…or he is Sterling." Eliot said.

"Eliot…I'm not arguing with you about this…I'm going…I told him I would be there and I will, now move." Nate said to his Hitter. The same thoughts had crossed his mind but he knew James Sterling, knew him well, knew him as an erstwhile friend and an opponent, this was not something he would do. But one thing Nate did know; something he felt in his gut, all of this was connected.

"Fine…but you ain't going alone." Eliot said his voice cold and hard indicating he would brook no argument.

"Never thought I would be…" Nate replied. "Hardison…"

"Yeah…got it, I'll drive." Hardison said as he wrote the address down and walked towards the three men at the door.

"No Parker…you stay here…and you Sophie." Nate said as he saw the two of them heading to the door as well.

"Nate…"

"Parker, this might be a trap and if it is I am going to need somebody on the outside to get us out of trouble…you and Sophie hold the fort here…and make sure Maggie is secure. We will be on coms the whole time Ok…"

"I'm not a child Nate…I can take care of myself." Maggie objected as she heard his instructions.

"I know Maggie but this is a little out of your purview…now please, we need to go." Nate said looking first at Maggie then at his other two team members and seeing that they would follow his lead, albeit reluctantly.

"Right…let's go." Nate said but before he could open the door Eliot shoved the bullet proof vest at him. "You ain't leaving here without this on." Eliot said softly.

Nate looked at him and smiled as he took the vest and pulled it on. "Happy…"

"No…but it will have to do." Eliot said succinctly.

The three men left swiftly, Eliot leading the way out and to the vehicle. Before he would allow anybody to get in though, he first checked for any explosives taking time that Nate felt they did not have. Nate knew enough though not to fight his Hitter on the subject and waited impatiently for the go ahead. Once Eliot had done his checks he gave the go ahead and they were soon on their way to Sterling.

"This is his last known address…I hope it is the right one." Hardison said as Eliot drove through the traffic at breakneck speeds.

Nate did not reply. He was sure that they would find Sterling at the address Hardison had. What he was not so sure of is what they would find. Sterling had said this had started about a week ago…attacks on himself and then the threats to Olivia. That was the same time as his problems had started. That could not be a coincidence. Mentally he ran through all the jobs he and Sterling had done together during his time with IYS but nothing sprang out at him, there seemed to be no connections. The people they had taken down were not in this league. Eliot made it to Sterling's address in record time and slowed to a stop outside the house which looked quite and deserted. The only sign that something was wrong was the shattered window to the side of the house and the bullet holes in the door.

"I don't like this Nate." Eliot said softly surveying the approach to the building. It was open ground with no cover at all. They would be exposed all the way in and once inside…he had no idea of the layout of the house or what could be waiting for them once they were inside. Eliot did not like going in blind at any time, but especially now.

"Hardison you stay here we may need to leave in a hurry so keep the engine going." Eliot instructed. He knew it was pointless telling Nate to stay so he did not even try.

"Right…Nate stay low and make it quick…" Eliot told the Mastermind as they exited the car and moved swiftly towards the house.

The two men approached the house with speed. They got to the door which they could now see had been peppered with bullets. Eliot reached out and turned the handle…the door swung open exposing a long corridor. Eliot signaled to Nate to wait while he made the first entry. Nate nodded back at him and waited for Eliot to go in. The house was silent and it was fairly dark inside. Eliot moved quickly and quietly into the place his senses on high alert. Nate followed the hitter in and moved to the end of the corridor. He called out Sterling and Olivia's names much to the aggravation of Eliot. Nate however was rewarded with a girls' voice calling his name in return. The voice came from behind the third door in the corridor and Nate immediately made his way over to it. Eliot grabbed his arm to stop him from opening it. He signaled to him that he would go in first and Nate was to wait until the all clear was given. Nate nodded agreement and Eliot opened the door moving carefully into the room. Nate followed him in directly immediately seeing an unconscious and bleeding Sterling lying on the floor with a distraught Olivia bending over him.

"Mr. Ford… Oh thank God…Dad said you were coming for us, but I thought…I thought it was them." Olivia said as she saw who had come through the door.

"Olivia…what happened?" Nate said approaching the girl and the unconscious man.

"I don't know…Daddy came and got me at school and brought me here. He said it was not safe for me. He has been sick…I didn't know what was wrong with him…he was throwing up and could hardly stand or walk. Then he called you and…and then somebody started shooting at the house…Dad was hit in the shoulder. I pulled him into the room and closed the door…I thought they were going to come in but nobody came…it just went quite." Olivia blurted out hardly even stopping to draw breath as she told Nate the story.

"Ok…it's ok Olivia…we are going to get you and your Dad out of here and to a safe place." Nate said to the distraught girl.

"Eliot…you get him, I've got her…Hardison get the car here we'll meet you outside." Nate said as he watched the hitter lift the wounded man up and over his shoulder in a fireman's carry.

Nate gave a nod to Eliot and then led the way out with Olivia following. They were out the door and in the car in less than two minutes and Hardison had floored the gas pedal speeding his way back to the safe house. Eliot leaned over Sterling and checked the man out. The gunshot wound was not bad, he had lost a little blood but it was not life threatening. What worried Eliot was the sheen of sweat on Sterling's face…his skin was cold and clammy and he was as white as a sheet. The bullet wound could not be the cause of that, he was sure.

"There is something else wrong here Nate…" Eliot said to the Mastermind. Nate looked back at his hitter and then at the man in the seat beside him.

"Does Stern travel?" Nate asked simply. They could not take Sterling to a hospital…whoever this was that had attacked him could easily get to him there and Olivia would want to stay with him and that would just be disastrous.

"I'll check…" Eliot replied taking out his phone and calling his friend. He quickly explained where they were and what was happening. After a few minutes he hung up the phone and confirmed with Nate that he would be on the next plane out. "He said we must just keep him comfortable and do what we can for the bullet wound…he should be here in a couple of hours." Eliot finished.

Arriving back at the safe house, Nate left Olivia in the care of Maggie and Sophie and directed Eliot to put Sterling in one of the side rooms. Parker had followed them carrying the first aid kit with her. Nate watched as Eliot cleaned and dressed the bullet wound and then he and Parker left. Nate approached the man in the bed.

"What the hell is going on Sterling…?" He asked the still unconscious man. "This is all connected…but how." Sterling did not respond and Nate just stared at him raking his brain trying to think of all their old cases again…he must have missed something, somebody. He sighed heavily and then turned and left the room to rejoin the others.

Nate took in the scene of the room. Olivia was seated at the table retelling her story to the others. Sophie and Maggie sat on either side of her with Parker perching on the counter. Hardison was standing with Eliot to the side.

"Is he alright…?" Olivia asked as she saw Nate exit the room.

"Fine for now Olivia…you can go and see him if you want." Nate said seeing the worry in the girls' eyes. "We have a doctor on his way to, so don't worry your Dad will be fine…Ok?"

"Ok…he trusts you and so do I…" Olivia said then unexpectedly wrapped her arms around Nate and mumbling her thanks to him for saving them. Then she moved off to go and see her Dad.

"Nate…what has Sterling got to do with this?" Sophie asked as the girl left.

"I don't know…but it can't be a coincidence. Me and him are connected, whoever is doing this is going after both of us, I am sure." Nate said sitting down heavily at the table. He was tired…no he was exhausted. His body was sore and he felt weak. It had only been a few days since his ordeal with the poisoning and the residual effects had not quite worn off. He also had a splitting headache which he could not seem to get rid of no matter how many pain pills he drank.

Eliot watched the Mastermind and saw the fatigue, and the wince of pain he showed when sitting. He could see Nate was very near to collapse. This was all happening so fast and the man had not had any time to recover from the poisoning, not to mention the blast and the gun shot. If Nate did not rest, he would be in a bed right next to Sterling. Nate bent his head and rested it on his hands. He could not think straight, his mind was racing. He could still not lock onto any case that could have caused such animosity towards himself or Sterling, let alone an adversary that he could think capable of what was happening to them now. A sudden shard of pain shot through his head and he shut his eyes tightly against it.

Sophie was also watching Nate closely; she could also see how close he was to collapsing. He had gone through so much in the last few days and now this. She could see him shut his eyes and wince as the pain shot through him. Her concern was evident when she spoke.

"Nate you need to rest…you haven't recovered fully from the poisoning and it is not going to help any of us if you collapse." She said softly to him.

"Sophie I need to figure this out…" Nate replied in a tired voice.

"Later…you are not going to figure anything out right now…you are exhausted Nate. Please, let's just get some rest and in a few hours we can take a look at everything again. Please Nate." Sophie almost begged him.

Nate was about to protest but seeing the look on Eliot's and the others' faces he knew he was going to be met with opposition. Besides which Sophie was right, he was barely able to think straight and going through the files and cases now was not going to help anything. He needed to rest if only for a few hours.

"Ok…Eliot you wake me when Stern gets here." Nate instructed the Hitter as he stood from the table.

"I will." Eliot affirmed.

As Nate and Sophie made their way to their room Nate's phone buzzed alerting him to a message. Nate pulled the phone out of his pocket and opened the message.

'_Mr. Ford…please give my congratulations to Hardison for finding the virus, he is better than I believed him to be. Now that all the pieces are in play… our game can begin in earnest…I hope all your affairs are in order…until next time'_

Silently Nate handed Sophie the phone and made his way into the bedroom. Sophie watched him go and then headed back to the table to share the message with the rest of the team and Maggie.

**Ok a little longer chapter this time. Hope you all enjoyed. Thanks again for the reviews…please keep all the speculation, comments and kind words coming they are greatly appreciated. I will try to get the next chapter up soon.**


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Sophie read out the message to the others.

"He's going to come after Nate full on now." Eliot surmised.

"Why would you say that?" Parker asked the Hitter confused by his deduction and the apparent agreement of everybody else.

"Because Parker…he said he hoped Nate's affairs were in order…" Eliot explained.

"But Nate doesn't have affairs…I mean he is with Sophie right?" Parker asked still confused.

Sophie smiled at her. Sometimes they forgot that Parker had never really lived in the real world. Sometimes they forgot that the basic things in life, things that they took as universally known, were not known to Parker.

"He means that he hopes Nate has sorted everything out he wanted to in his life because…because it is about to end." Sophie said; her own words and the meaning of them impacting on her and causing her voice to hitch slightly.

"Oh…you mean he is telling Nate he is going to kill him now." Parker said in understanding, her eyes widening at the realization.

"Yes Parker…that is exactly what it means. It also means we have to be more careful. We need to make sure security it tight.

"This place is locked down man; nobody comes in without us knowing about it…hell nobody comes near here without us knowing about it." Hardison said.

"Good…now we just have to worry about people going out." Eliot said meaningfully.

"He won't go anywhere Eliot…not with the threat of us being in danger if he does…no Nate will stay right here, at least until he has worked out a plan to keep us safe." Sophie said following Eliot's thinking.

"Ok well Jules said he would be here in a couple hours so until then we can all get some rest. It has been a long day." Eliot said to the group.

"Right, I think that is the best idea I have heard so far." Maggie agreed. "Where do I…" She asked looking around.

"Yeah…bit crowded around here now. You take my room, I'll take the couch." Eliot said pointing at the room allocated to him. "It's no problem Maggie, I don't sleep much anyway." He said as he saw her hesitation.

"Alright, thanks Eliot." Maggie said taking her bags and making her way to the room allocated.

Hardison and Parker also said their goodnights and headed off to their room. Sophie stood and watched the Hitter make himself comfortable on the couch.

"Eliot…you also need to rest. He is going to need you when this all goes down." Sophie said softly.

"I know Sophie and I will be ready, don't worry I am getting enough rest."

Sophie looked at him earnestly. She knew he would move heaven and earth to keep Nate, to keep all of them safe. She sighed and turned around after telling him to wake them when Stern arrived. Eliot agreed and then went to check on Sterling and Olivia. Sterling was still out and Olivia had fallen asleep beside her father. He then returned to the living room and sank down onto the couch. This was far from over he knew, and it was going to get much worse as time went on. Soon though he drifted into a light sleep and complete silence settled over the building.

Eliot was woken a few hours later by a phone call from Stern to tell him he was on his way from the airport. Eliot confirmed the address with him and then made his way into the kitchen to put a pot of coffee on before going to wake the others.

Stern arrived just as they were all sitting down to their first cup of coffee. Eliot let him in and then showed him to Sterling's room.

"Is he a good doctor?" Olivia asked Eliot. She was worried about her father, he had not woken up since yesterday and it was becoming difficult for him to breath. She would rather he be taken to a hospital but knew that under the circumstances that was not possible.

"Very good…don't worry Olivia he'll take care of your Dad." Eliot said trying to reassure her.

About a half hour later Stern asked Nate to join him in the room and closed the door.

"He's dying…there is nothing I can do for him, I am sorry Nate." Stern told the Mastermind as he shut the door behind them.

"What…why?" Nate asked looking down at his friend and then back at Stern.

"He has been injected with some kind of poison. I brought a kit with to test for the most common…" Nate raised his eyebrow at the doctor at this statement.

"After my last call out I thought it was prudent to do so…" Stern continued seeing the question in Nate's eyes. "Anyway, I don't get a result, with further testing I could possibly isolate it, but that still does not guarantee that there is an antidote, plus I am afraid that he has maybe three, perhaps four days at the most. It would take longer than that just to complete the analysis, with nothing to work on…The most we can do is make him comfortable."

Nate sank down onto a chair beside the bed. Sterling was dying. No according to the doctor he was as good as dead. How in the hell was he going to tell Olivia?

"Nate, I am sorry. If there was anything I could do…"

"I know it's just his daughter is out there and I told her that he was going to be ok…that we…Now I have to go out there and tell her that he is going to die and there is nothing we can do." Nate said to the doctor. Nate stared at the man in the bed and then shook his head before looking back at Stern. "Sterling is a stubborn man…you go do your testing, maybe we get lucky and he survives long enough for you to get something…" Nate said to the doctor.

"Of course…I have already drawn the blood and taken samples. I'll get going now. But first let me look you over ok…"

"I'm fine, just tired that's all…please just get started as soon as you can and let me know how it is going." Nate replied standing and opening the door for the doctor. They walked out into the room and were met with expectant looks, especially a worried anxious look from Olivia.

"I'm just going to see him out then I'll come and talk to you ok…" Nate said to the girl as he passed them ushering the doctor in front of him. Eliot followed them and after he had thanked Jules again closed the door and turned to Nate.

"Well…" Eliot asked.

"He's been poisoned and he is dying and now I have to go tell his daughter…" Nate said to his Hitter before turning and heading back into the room.

"Mr. Ford…Is my Dad going to be alright…?" Olivia burst out as Nate reentered the room with Eliot.

"Olivia why don't you come and sit here a minute..." Nate said indicating she should take a seat on the couch.

"No…no…" Olivia said shaking her head at him…" You said he was going to be alright…you promised he was going to be ok…you said that the doctor would be able to help him." Olivia said her angst rising as she instinctively knew that Nate was not going to give her good news. She had already lost her mother, she could not lose her father whom she had only really got back a year or so ago.

"Olivia…I am sorry, the doctor will do his best but…your dad he…" Nate stumbled over the words.

"No you LIED… YOU LIED…You're a liar I don't know why my father called you…He should not have trusted you to help…I should not have trusted you…you said he was going to be fine…I hope that…I hope that he kills you too…" Olivia screamed at the Mastermind and ran into her fathers' room leaving a devastated Nate to stare after her.

"I'll go to her…" Maggie said looking at Nate who had the same look on his face as he had all those years ago.

"Nate…" Sophie said moving to his side and taking his hand pulled him onto the couch. "She didn't mean that…she is just upset…"

"She was right…I told her it would all be ok…" Nate said shaking his head at her.

"This is not your fault Nate…you did everything you could. You did not know this was happening, you did everything you could Nate, everything." Sophie said to him desperate for him to believe that, desperate to give him some comfort.

"It doesn't matter Sophie…he is going to die and…she already lost her mother…I…" Nate said his voice full of emotion. He bent his head and covered his face with his hands.

The rest of the team and Sophie just stared at him. None of them knew what to say. None of them knew how to offer comfort to him, to ease his pain. Suddenly Nate's phone buzzed a message through…how in the hell did this guy know exactly when to contact Nate, Eliot wondered as he watched the Mastermind open his phone and read the message.

'_My condolences Mr. Ford…and to poor Olivia…she should know this is not the first time you have lied to a child on the issue of death, is it Mr. Ford…Oh well, as my father said, you should never make promises you can't keep Mr. Ford. Perhaps you would do well to remember that next time…One down…One to go…We are moving into the end game, I hope for your sake and the sake of your team you are up to it, oh and let's not forget Maggie and Olivia, It must be hard to have so many lives hang in the balance, so many could die just to protect one life…it doesn't seem fair does it…until next time Mr. Ford…'_

Nate's face darkened as he read the message his anger building within him. Pure emotion overwhelmed him and he threw the phone violently across the room then stared at the broken pieces. Standing up he went into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of whiskey before stalking, without a word to any of them, into his office slamming the door behind him.

"What the hell…" Eliot said letting out the breath he had been holding. He had not seen Nate so overwrought with emotion since the drive to get to his Dad at the warehouse.

"Just a minute…Ok…here's the message…" Hardison said quickly getting the phone and transferring the information on the SIM to his computer. He read it out to the team.

"I don't care what happens…but this man, this maniac, he's a dead man." Eliot said his voice soft yet deadly. Parker and Hardison nodded in agreement. Sophie just stared at the door behind which Nate had disappeared, her eyes filling with tears which spilt over onto her cheek unheeded.

**Will the doctor find what poison it is in time to save Sterling? Will the team be able to protect Nate from the coming onslaught? What would Nate do to protect the team and Maggie and Olivia from further harm? How do you think their enemy is still able to know what is happening all the time? The next chapter will be up soon. Thanks for reading everybody. Thanks for the reviews and the interest. I am really honored that you take the time to review…they mean so much to me, all of them, please keep them coming in.**


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

The team were silent for a while after Nate's outburst and his disappearance into the little room he was using as an office.

"Sophie, I think he wants to be alone for now…" Eliot said as Sophie moved to go to the room.

"Nate in an emotional state with a bottle of whiskey…" Hardison mumbled voicing all of their thoughts and conveying the dread they all felt in his tone.

"Yeah…but going in there is not going to help anything." Eliot replied, he too saw nothing good coming from the present situation but recognized that going in there might actually worsen it. "So let's go over everything again…maybe we can find something, something for him to work on."

"OK…well I wasn't able to track the origins of this message either…Whoever this is he is good at his technology…I mean with the virus in the comm's and everything…" Hardison said.

"So how did he know then?" Parker said thinking loud and drawing all of their attention. "I mean how did he know about Olivia…I mean I know how he knew about Sterling, but how could he have known what Nate had said to Olivia and her reaction to the news that Sterling was dying?"

"Good question Parker. And exactly what to say about Sam to trigger that kind of response from Nate…?" Sophie said, she had not even thought of that with everything that was going on. "Hardison, you will have to check everything again, and you Parker and Eliot will have to do a sweep of the place again, although I don't think anybody could have got in here to place a bug between your last one and this one but just to be safe."

"Right…Hardison what was that bug that Latimer used…the one that you did not pick up in the beginning." Eliot asked the Hacker.

"No man I adjusted the settings, it would have picked up those too. It is now set so sensitive that it will pick up anything, I'm telling you man." Hardison told the Hitter.

"What if he was using a directional mike…I mean listening in from outside the building?" Sophie asked.

Hardison frowned at her. He had not considered that, it was so old school as to be laughable. But it could work, just because of that very fact.

"Ok…we need to do a sweep outside as well…Hardison is there any way to detect if there is a directional?" Eliot asked.

"Not unless you see it…I mean it doesn't send out a signal or anything so…no way man not with a detector or anything anyway." Hardison said.

"Ok, so how close would he need to be to get any sort of feed from inside this place, I mean it can't be too far off if there is one right?"

"Right…but I can put a stop to it anyway…I can set up a field to disrupt any signal, all he would get would be static…I should have thought of that in the first place." Hardison regretfully.

"No Hardison, why would you? Just put an end to it if he is using one." Sophie said seeing the look of shame and regret that crossed the Hackers face. "Look guys…this is hard on all of us, and yes we have missed things but we are up against an unknown. Even Nate…" Sophie looked at the door and her voice dropped to a soft whisper. "Even Nate doesn't know how to beat this guy." Sophie turned back to them. "So there will be no recriminations, let's just get the job done ok."

"Cool…Eliot I'll do inside you do out." Parker said taking the device Hardison had given them to do the sweep.

"Right…Hardison you get on with going over all the electronics, phones, comm's, everything again. I'll start going through the files again, maybe we missed something…"

"Sophie, check for military stuff, chemical engineer, stuff like that, this guy must have some form of training in that, this is the second poisoning." Eliot said to the Grifter. Sophie nodded in response to him and grabbed one of the many files lying scattered on the little table in front of the couch.

Eliot and Parker had left to do their sweeps and Hardison was sitting at the dining room table going through his computers when Maggie made her appearance from Sterling's room.

"Sophie…where is everybody?" She asked as she sat down on one of the chairs facing her. Sophie explained what Parker and Eliot were doing and what had happened after she had left…what had happened with Nate and the message.

"Well Olivia has passed out. Poor girl is exhausted, emotionally and physically." Maggie told her. "What are you doing?"

"Checking the files again to see if we missed anything, looking for connections with military, chemicals anything like that." Sophie told her.

"Oh…" Maggie said not really listening to the Grifter, she was staring at the door closing off the little office wondering if she should go in and talk to Nate.

"He needs some time Maggie…" Sophie said watching the woman. She knew she still cared deeply for Nate, even loved him, and her concern was evident as was her conflict on what to do. "Why don't you give me a hand?"

"What…oh yes ok…" Maggie said tearing her eyes away from where Nate was and picking up one of the files and starting to go through it.

Inside his little office Nate sat with a full glass of whiskey in front of him. He had had one glass and then after pouring a second he just sat and stared at it. As much as he would like to just get drunk and fall into a stupor, he knew he couldn't. His team, Maggie and Olivia were counting on him to get them through this. He had to get them through this. He could not lose another family, he would not survive that. He went over all the events of the past week and a half. Putting together everything of relevance he could. First, this guy was after both him and Sterling. Second he wanted both of them to have people they cared for suffering, not dying, but suffering. Why, why not just kill somebody they loved or cared for…that was the usual way to do things. Third, he was linked or connected to the military in some way, or had access to the military labs…BZ was not a drug that was easily obtained outside of that setting. Fourth he had a lot of technological knowledge, to be able to bug the place, to be able to get through Hardison's security. Fifth, he had studied Nate, knew how he would react, respond to certain situations; that meant he had taken time, a lot of time to put this together. Sixth, he knew Nate's history, he knew about Sam, about Maggie so whoever it was they must have known him then, known him when he was partnering Sterling at IYS. Seven he knew Sterling, knew that Sterling would call Nate when he needed help, especially where his daughter was concerned. Eighth he knew that having his team, his family suffer would hurt him far more than dying or even the threat of dying ever would. He knew that losing any one of them would be devastating to him, and watching them suffer emotional turmoil and them putting themselves in danger because of him…yes this man knew him well. Lastly he did not think whoever this was could carry out all of this alone, no he had to be working with at least one other, probably more. To be able to get to him and Sterling at the same time, to be able to do everything he had done up to know, he was definitely not working alone.

Nate suddenly sat upright in his chair as he went through everything again…It could not be. He was dead, Sterling and him and watched him die, seen him die, verified he was dead. No it could not possibly be him. No wonder nothing in the files had triggered any kind of recognition. This was not in their files. This was a job they had done seventeen years ago, a job that not even their IYS bosses had been aware of. A job they had done before he had even met Maggie, before Sam, before anything. But how was it possible? Nate was sure he was dead; he cast his mind back to that day, standing there with Sterling confronting the man. He could see it now and there is no possible way on earth he was still alive. Nate lifted the glass of liquor to his lips and then stopped realizing something that made his skin crawl. If it was not him the only other person it could be was his son. But they had been told that the son was dead, that he had died in custody. Nate took a long sip of the amber liquid and felt it wash down his throat. His son was a psychopathic killer who had been the catalyst to everything his father had done. Nate remembered the son telling them that if it took the rest of his life he would make them pay, pay for his father's death, pay for ruining everything. He had been the brains and the driving force behind the man. He had been a genius who had taken pleasure in torturing his subjects when testing out his father's new inventions, his new creations of poisons and poison gasses. He had been a sadistic killer who took pleasure in making people suffer and watching them suffer. He had been violently angry that Nate had outsmarted him and his father, that he had infiltrated their house, had exposed their secrets. Nate swallowed hard; if it was the son then they were in way more trouble than any of them realized.

Nate thought back to how all of it had started. He had been sent out on one of his first investigations for IYS. Him and Sterling had started together and although generally they worked together this was going to be a simple task so he had gone alone. Looking back he realized that both he and Sterling had gotten in over their heads, caught up in an avalanche of events that could never have ended well. To be fair though it had stared out innocently enough and they had no idea what they were getting into. He had stumbled on the lab accidently. Neither the father nor son had been at home when he had arrived to do the review of the place. The father had bought an expensive artwork that IYS was going to insure. Nate was there to make sure that the security was in order. He had been given the run of the house by the housekeeper to do his checks. He had stumbled upon the lab then. He smiled to himself, he always was a nosy SOB and he had had no right to be in that section of the house, but when the housekeeper had instructed him to stay out of that wing of the house, well it had been like a red flag to a bull. He just had to know what was kept behind locked doors. Now he wished he had never been so curious. He had never in his wildest dreams expected to find what he had. What he had seen immediately made him suspicious that something sinister was going on. Once he had left the place he had told Sterling about what he had seen. Sterling and he had decided that it was probably a drug ring and they were cooking up something there. They had both decided to take it to a cop friend of Sterling's. Things escalated from there. Somehow the FBI and NSA and possibly the CIA had become involved and in the end, Sterling and Nate had been drawn into a saga that involved treason, in the form of selling militarized chemical weapons to foreign enemies and murder. The father had been a chemist working for the Department of Defense in their labs developing…well Nate was never privy to that part, but he had taken his work home with him. The son had happily tested all his father's concoctions on people he abducted. It also turned out that the son was a genius with chemicals too…in fact he was a lot better than his father. He had also arranged for the sale of the stuff and was the Mastermind behind everything. Nate and Sterling had been warned that they were not to disclose any of what had happened in that house. When they had finally confronted the man, John Burns was his name. He had taken his own life, blowing his brains out in front of them and his son. The son blamed Sterling and most of all Nate for his fathers' death…for everything that had gone down in fact, and had vowed revenge. He had been furious that Nate had outsmarted him and his father, that they had managed to con him into something and that it had brought their whole house of cards tumbling down. Nate had forgotten about it because a few days later they had been told that he had died in custody. Now Nate was not so sure.

It made sense now he thought to himself. The BZ, the poison now in Sterling's system…the systematic torture: physical, emotional and mental. The taunting messages being sent after and before each incident. But where had he been all these years. Seventeen years is a long time to wait to take your revenge, unless he had been unable to until now. They had been told he had died in custody, but the NSA was involved and maybe even the CIA…it would not be unheard of for them to use the kid, offer him something in order for him to continue working for them. He was after all a genius who was an expert at chemical weaponry amongst other things. Nate realized that this was all speculation, speculation he would never be able to verify. The whole incident was probably erased from all records. Hardison could probably hack the CIA system, hell he probably had in the past, but what did they look for. No there was no way to prove or disprove anything. Well there was one thing he could do and if he was right in who this was, he could perhaps save Sterling.

Nate opened the door to the little office and looked around for Hardison.

"Hardison…I need a new phone." He said to the Hacker spotting him at the table. Hardison looked up in surprise at hearing Nate's voice. Actually he was surprised that it was not slurred with alcohol.

"Sure…here…" Hardison said. He had already prepared a new phone for Nate.

"Thanks." Nate said taking the phone then walking back into the office and closing the door. He dialed Jules number and waited for the doctor to pick up.

"Jules…Nate Ford."

"Nate, yes, I am sorry but I have found no matching compounds yet…"

"Yeah, I didn't think you would have. Jules let me ask you, could you possibly know anything about recent developments in chemical stuff used in the services…? Poisons or weapons used by let's say the CIA, or NSA…?" Nate asked knowing he was taking a chance, but the fact that Julius Stern was a friend of Eliot's and that according to Eliot he had worked with him on dubious projects for the DOD he thought he might as well ask.

"Why do you ask?" Jules replied. Nate could hear the unease in his voice at the question.

"Because if you do, and I am not saying you do, you should test for those first." Nate said.

"Nate I don't know what you are talking about. I have no knowledge of anything like that." Jules said softly.

"Ok…well I just thought I would ask…by the way when you come here, I need to speak to you alone. Jules do you understand..?" Nate asked the doctor. He was asking a lot he knew. The man was a good friend of Eliot and he was asking him to keep Eliot out of the loop. Nate knew the doctor understood what he was asking, it was just a question of whether he would go along with him or not.

"Understood..." Jules said simply before putting the phone down. Nate smiled to himself; maybe just maybe he could save Sterling.

Now his problem was how did he protect his people from this madman? If Jason Burns found out the game was up, he would come at him hard, and not to hurt him he was sure, to hurt them. Burns was enjoying this game, enjoying tormenting him and driving him insane with worry and emotional upheaval. He had to make sure that he continued to think that the game was still on. That he had no idea who he was dealing with. In order to pull that off, he had to keep the team in the dark. That was the last thing he wanted to do. For their safety though, he knew he had to. Burns would keep on hurting him, attacking him and not them as long as he thought he was inflicting emotional pain and suffering on him. It was what he got off on. When he found out the game was up, he would kill them, and then kill him.

Nate poured himself another drink…he had a plan, it was dangerous and probably a little insane but it could work. The only downside was the damage it might do to his team and Maggie…If it worked though, it would save their lives.

**What do you think of the villain of the story? What do you think Nate's plan could be to outsmart him? Please review and let me know what you think. All reviews are greatly appreciated. **


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

The afternoon passed quickly with each of them busy with their assigned tasks. Nate did not make another appearance from his room and the door remained closed. Once Eliot had completed his sweep of the outside, he set to work preparing a meal for the group. None of them had had any decent food for a long time and he felt they all needed it. Besides he was tired of going through the same files over and over again with no result and he needed to calm his mind down, cooking always did that for him.

"Right, food's up in ten minutes…Maggie why don't you get Olivia and Sophie you get Nate."

Maggie disappeared into Sterling's room while Sophie stood for a moment outside of Nate's office. She knocked on the door and receiving no response she opened it slightly peering in.

"Nate…Nate it's me…" She said as she swung the door a little wider.

Nate was sitting at his desk the bottle of whiskey now empty before him. He looked up at her and smiled crookedly.

"Dinner is ready." She said seeing that he was quite drunk.

"Not hungry thanks." He replied lifting his glass and draining the last remaining whiskey he had.

"Nate, you need to eat…whiskey is not going to keep you going. Did you forget that we are all in this, we are all relying on you?" Sophie said and immediately regretted her words, she had not meant to be harsh and the look that came over Nate's face made her heart clench.

"Right…right…yeah well…"

"Nate, I didn't mean this was your fault, I just meant…"

"I know what you meant Sophie…and you're right…always are, aren't you?" He said the last part almost to himself. He stood from his chair and stumbled past her and to the dining table where he collapsed into one of the chairs.

Eliot saw him stumble out the room and walk shakily to the chair. He looked up at Sophie and raised an eyebrow. She shrugged in response. Yes he was drunk…but really who could blame him at this point. Maggie and Olivia joined them moments later, with Parker and Hardison helping Eliot serve the food. The mood at the table was somber. Olivia's blatant hostility towards Nate was tangible. Sophie could not stop watching the Mastermind, concern and a little anger in her eyes. Parker and Hardison studiously avoided looking at Nate who was picking at his food in between taking sips from his newly acquired bottle of bourbon. Eliot watched with distaste as the Mastermind drowned himself some more. They needed Nate sober; they needed him to come up with a plan not crawl into a bottle. Nate on the other hand avoided all of their gazes. He could feel Sophie and Eliot watching him. He could sense Olivia's hate for him and he could not blame her he thought. He looked around the table before taking another drink.

"Stern will be here a little later to check on Sterling…" He said to nobody in particular. He slurred his words slightly, indicating that he was well on his way to being completely out of it.

"He didn't call…" Eliot said looking at his phone.

"No, I called him…I thought maybe he had come up with something, I told him Jim was getting worse…"

"And how would you know that…you haven't even been in to see him." Olivia spat at him her animosity spilling out in her voice.

"No, no I haven't…but…"

"But what…you expecting him to die at any moment aren't you…" Olivia said her eyes filling with tears at the thought.

"No Olivia…I just hoped that…that the doctor may have come up with something…but…" Nate sighed and finished off the rest of the whiskey in his glass before mumbling that he had not.

"I'm finished…I'm going back to sit with my Dad." Olivia said as she stood and walked away angrily.

The group fell silent again after her departure. Each of them looking at each other surreptitiously, none of them looking at Nate.

"Ok…well thanks Eliot…but I have to go back to work…" Nate said pushing his plate back and starting to stand.

"Back to what…" Eliot said drawing Nate's attention as well as the other three at the table. "Back to drinking you mean. Well Nate you better get your head on straight 'cause this is going to get worse before it gets better. We need you sober and thinking straight, not drunk and feeling sorry for yourself." Eliot said hotly.

"Thank you Eliot…I don't need you to tell me what I need to be doing." Nate said just as angrily back.

Eliot stood from the table and walked to stand in front of the Mastermind. He was angry, angry that he had no control over the situation, angry at what this was doing to Nate…to all of them. His anger was born of frustration and pure helplessness. The two stood staring each other down, Nate looking calmly at the Hitter taking another sip of his drink. "Besides…this guy is after me…ME Eliot. So just back off."

"He may be after you but we are in this too." Eliot said hitting the table in frustration at Nate's attitude.

"Right you are…thank you for pointing that out to me." Nate said with such sadness and regret in his voice that Eliot wished he had never said anything in the first place.

"Nate…Eliot just means…"

"I know what Eliot means Sophie…and he is right. I got you all into this, whoever this is, is after me and you are all caught in the middle." Nate said looking at the Grifter, his blue eyes boring into her. "Now I have to get you all out." He finished and taking the bottle made his way back into the little room.

Sophie and the rest stared after him. The last time he had uttered similar words he was standing on the deck of a ship bleeding and handing himself over to Sterling to secure their freedom. She looked around at the rest and could see from their expressions they were thinking of the same thing. He was going to do something stupid, no doubt something dangerous to try and save them.

"I didn't mean to…" Eliot said bowing his head slightly.

"I know Eliot…I know…" Sophie said looking directly at the Hitter; she could feel his pain, his angst.

"It's just seeing him like that again…he has been getting better, drinking less, now…"

Parker said nothing. She just watched as Eliot and Nate faced off with each other. Then she followed the Mastermind with her eyes as he walked unsteadily into his office, jumping slightly at the sound of the slamming door. So many emotions were going through her right now and she was lost. Suddenly she grabbed onto the only lifeline she had, Hardison. He looked down at the little blonde woman and pulled her closer, wrapping his arms around her to try and comfort her, as well as himself. Hardison did not know what to do. He was being outwitted…outmaneuvered by a madman who was intent on killing the only father figure he had ever had, not to mention the only family he had. All of them were lost in their own thoughts when Eliot's phone brought them back to reality.

"Jules…" Eliot answered the call.

"Eliot, I am on my way over to check on the patient, be there in about thirty."

"Right, just ring when you get here and I'll open up." Eliot told the doctor.

"He'll be here in about thirty minutes." Eliot told the group. "He didn't say he had anything, just he was coming to check." Eliot said seeing the unasked question in their combined gazes.

"Ok…well Sophie should we continue…?" Maggie asked, she could see they all needed something to do to get their minds off of Nate and the state he was currently in. She knew the feeling.

"Yes…good idea." Sophie said sighing heavily as she made her way back to the couch and the files waiting to be reread.

"We'll help Eliot clean up…" Hardison said dragging Parker into the kitchen. Eliot followed them carrying some plates.

Julius Stern arrived about forty minutes later and made his way into Sterling's room. He asked where Nate was telling Eliot he needed to speak to him. Eliot agreed to get him, but warned Stern that Nate was a little drunk and maybe it would be better to talk to one of them. Jules insisted he needed to speak to Nate though and Eliot acquiesced going to get the Mastermind.

"Nate…" Eliot called knocking on the office door.

"Not now Eliot…I'm busy." Nate's voice drifted through the door.

"Jules is here and he wants to speak to you." Eliot said still not opening the door.

Nate opened the door and stood swaying in front of the Hitter. "Where is he?" Nate asked.

"In with Sterling..."

Nate nodded and then looked around the room. He saw Olivia sitting on the couch between Maggie and Sophie and thanked his lucky stars they had thought to get her out of the room.

"Fine…" Nate said pushing past Eliot and making his way unsteadily to Sterling's room closing the door behind him.

"Nate…what the hell is going on…are you drunk?" Julius asked him as he entered the room.

"No…did you find anything?" Nate said straightening up and walking to Sterling's bedside.

Stern could smell the strong stench of whiskey on the man. He looked doubtfully at him and then turned back to Sterling.

"You were right. It was a compound that was developed in the last five years. It's highly toxic and very deadly." Stern told him.

"Antidote…?" Nate asked looking hopefully at the doctor.

"Yes…but Nate, he has been exposed to a high dose and we may be too late." Stern said as he injected the antidote into the Interpol agent.

"When will we know?"

"It should take effect in a few hours…until then all we can do is wait and see."

"Ok…but can you declare him dead, then get him to a secure facility without anybody knowing?" Jules nodded without answering. Nate had explained this part of the plan to him, the rest he was not so clear on.

"What the hell are you planning Nate…?" Jules asked him. He had received instructions from the Mastermind via message shortly after his telephone conversation and although disturbed by the things Nate asked he had brought what was needed.

"Just planning on keeping everybody alive and well." Nate said matter-of-factly.

"Ok well, I will help you but I want to know what your plan is…in detail. What you are asking me to do is, well it is rather drastic. Do you know what this will do to them…?"

"Yes, it will keep them alive and off the radar of a madman." Nate said looking earnestly at the doctor. "I know you think it's a bad plan but it is the only way. Besides which I would rather have them angry than dead."

"Nate…you could be committing suicide…with your condition, with the aftereffects of the poison, amongst other things…well it is a hell of chance you are taking. You are in no condition to do this alone…no condition at all."

"It's the only chance they have…it's the only chance I have, and if I do end up dead, well the result will be the same…they will be safe." Nate replied. He had made up his mind. This plan had to work, it had too. He knew it was going to cause a lot of pain and suffering to his team, not to mention Maggie and Olivia, but it was the only way out he saw, and he was going to take it.

"Look Jules…you just have to trust me. What I am doing is for the best, for everybody. Now can you declare Sterling dead and make it stick?"

"Yes…I can do that." Julius Stern said softly. He did not like this plan. He did not like any part of it. But he did trust Nate. In the short time he had known him he had developed a liking for the man. Also he knew that Nate was probably right, this was the only way to keep the others safe

"Remember he will be watching, it has to be perfect. He'll probably have somebody check that he is indeed dead…" Nate reminded the doctor. "And the rest…?"

"Nate…I don't like this…not one little bit." Jules reiterated.

"I know nor do I but it has to be done."

"Ok…it's all arranged. Just wait a few hours and things will be in place." Jules confirmed his voice still conveying his dislike of the whole situation.

"Fine…Just remember…he will be watching and it has to be exactly right, there can be no doubt. Now make him dead already would you." Nate said smiling at the doctor reassuringly. He was going to make this work, with a little help from the doctor he hoped the whole mess would come to an end in a few days. If he was wrong, or if the doctor made a wrong move or a mistake, then he was dead. The one good thing though, he doubted that Jason Burns would bother with the others once he was dead. He had only used them to get to him, and used Olivia to get to Jim. He would leave them to mourn and blame themselves for Nate's death. He would get off on watching them fall apart…that was his way.

**What do you think Nate's plan entails? Thank you all for your reviews. Kd, Carebear818, stella, Sphinx, AllAroundThunder, Leveragus and everybody else thank you so much for your kind words and interest in the story. I am so glad you are all enjoying it. Please keep those reviews coming…they mean a lot to me, and encourage me to continue with the story. **


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Ten minutes later Nate and the doctor emerged from the room. All eyes turned to them waiting for the news. Olivia got up and moved swiftly to stand in front of the doctor.

"Can you…is he…" She stuttered. The look she saw in the doctors eyes though told her that her worst fears had been realized.

"Olivia…I am so…" Nate started to say when the young girl swung towards him pouring all her hurt and anger out on him.

"You're what, he's dead and you're what…HE"S DEAD…he can't be dead…this is all your fault…" Olivia screamed at him pounding her fists against Nate. Nate stood still, not trying to stop her or comfort her. He knew there would be no comfort for her, just anger.

Maggie watched the scene play out. She saw the devastated look on Nate's face as the girl ranted about him being responsible for her father's death. That he had made her an orphan. She took the girl in her arms and held her as she dissolved into tears, the reality of the situation setting in and overwhelming the anger.

Nate watched his ex-wife comfort the distraught girl for a minute then turned toward Eliot.

"Jules has called an ambulance." He told his Hitter not quite meeting his eyes. "Make sure…make sure he's taken care of…and Olivia…."

"I'll make sure, she is not going anywhere." Eliot said softly knowing that Nate wanted him to make sure that Olivia stayed safe and did not leave the premises, which he was sure she was going to want to do. Nate nodded his thanks then moved passed all of them and retreated back behind the closed door of his office.

"I want to see him." Olivia said pulling away from the woman who was holding her. "I need to be with him." Running into his room but stopping dead in the doorway. Sterling lay in the bed covered with a sheet. She moved slowly in and lifted the sheet to reveal his face. She thought he looked peaceful, more at rest than he had been in days. Leaning over him she kissed his forehead whispering to him that she would make them pay…she would avenge him.

She turned to face the doctor and Eliot who had followed her into the room. "I'm going with him." She stated adamantly.

"I can't allow that Olivia…the man who did this, the man who wanted your father dead is still out there and…and you are still a target." Eliot told her.

"I don't care…my father is dead anyway, why would I be a target? Why would…" She stopped mid-sentence and her eyes narrowed. "It's because of him isn't it…NATE." She spat the name out with hate.

"Olivia, this man, he was after both Nate and you father…"

"How do you know that, he was probably just after Nate, he's the criminal…now my father is dead…because of him. Well I am not staying here with HIM; I don't care what you say." Olivia said the tears now gone to be replaced with complete overpowering anger.

"Olivia…you are not leaving. I am sorry but I cannot let you leave." Eliot told her, he wanted to shout back at Nate was not responsible for this but he held his tongue. Arguing with her right now would not be doing anybody any good.

"You can't make me stay…Doctor Stern, I am going with you." Olivia said turning to the doctor.

"I am afraid I must agree with Eliot, it is not safe for you to leave here. Don't worry Olivia…I will take good care of him." Stern said softly.

"No…no… you can't make me…" Olivia shouted at them.

"Olivia…if I have to lock you in a room you are staying, is that clear?" Eliot said his patience running out. They could argue back and forth and she could scream blue murder, it was not going to change the fact that Eliot would keep her here no matter what.

Olivia looked at the Hitter and saw in his eyes that she was indeed not going anywhere. She turned to the doctor and saw the same look. Turning back to the body of her father she collapsed on her chair beside the bed and sobbed. Eliot watched her for a short while before retreating from the room, leaving her to her grief.

"Maggie you seem to have a bond with her…could you…?" Eliot asked her throwing his head back to indicate the room and Olivia.

"Yes…ok I'll take care of her. Just give her a few minutes, just until the ambulance arrives ok, she needs to say goodbye." Maggie told the hitter.

"Fine, take her into your room will you and Maggie…make sure she stays there ok?"

Maggie nodded and moved into the room to watch over the grieving girl. A few minutes later the ambulance arrived and Jules once again certified Sterling dead. His body was loaded onto a gurney and taken out of the building. Olivia had to be physically restrained to stop her from following them out and Jules handed Eliot some sedatives for her.

"Call me if there is anything else…give these to her, it will calm her down and help her sleep for a while." Jules said as he took his leave from his friend.

"Thanks Jules." Eliot said taking the drugs and closing the door behind the doctor, making sure it was securely locked he made his way back to his team.

Maggie had taken the distraught Olivia into her room and the door was closed. They could hear the muffled sobs coming from behind the door but their attention was focused on another door. Eliot flicked his eyes in that direction too before going to give Maggie the pills for Olivia. Once that was done he returned to take a seat with the rest of the team.

"What now…?" Parker asked the group.

"I don't know Parker…Nate…" Sophie cleared her throat fighting back the tears and trying to keep her voice as calm as possible. "Nate needs some time. Sterling and him were friends…" Three faces turned towards her with surprise on them.

"Yes they were friends…good friends. Before Sam's death they were partners. I know it did not seem like it. Something happened to turn that friendship into well…respectful animosity, shall we say, but once upon a time they were good friends." Sophie told them. They did not question her just nodded in acceptance of her words.

"So…now that Sterling is…dead…what do you think this guy's next move is going to be?" Hardison asked bringing them all back to the issue at hand with a jolt.

None of them spoke. None of them had any clue what to expect next. The only thing they did know is that he was going to come after Nate in some way or the other.

"Come after Nate…" Parker voiced their thoughts.

"Yeah..." Eliot agreed. "We need to figure out who this guy is but with Nate in the condition he is…" Eliot sighed heavily looking at the door behind which the Mastermind had disappeared. "Dammit we need him to figure this out. He needs to get a grip." Eliot growled in frustration at the situation. "Somebody needs to talk to him." Eliot said looking directly at Sophie as he said the words. The others also looked at the Grifter expectantly.

Sophie looked back at each of them in turn. She sighed and rose from her seat making her way to the office. Taking a deep breath and without knocking she let herself in and closed the door behind her. She found Nate sitting at his desk with a glass of whiskey in his hands. She thought he looked tired, old, worn out and exhausted.

"Nate…" She said softly making her way to stand in front of him. He looked up at her and she noticed that his eyes were clearer than she thought they would be considering the amount of alcohol he had consumed. She could see the pain and the sadness in them. "Nate I'm…I'm sorry." She said walking behind him and wrapping him in her arms. She could smell the whiskey on him and she almost drown in the fumes but held on to him tightly.

Nate did not respond to her. He sat motionless not saying a word. They stayed like that for what seemed like ages before Sophie pulled away and went to stand in front of him again.

"Nate, we need to talk."

"Talk about what? What would you like to talk about Sophie? Would you like to talk about the man who is trying to kill me, trying to hurt you and the rest of them? Would you like to talk about the man who killed Sterling? What exactly would you like to talk about? Huh, 'cause we are NOT talking about my drinking." Nate said looking her in the eye as he took another sip from his glass.

"Nate I know you are hurting, I know." Sophie said softly. "I know that you crawl into a bottle to avoid emotional pain, I have watched you do it now for a long time. What you have to understand is we can't allow you to do that this time, we need you. I need you to be sober and rational and to get us out of this. If you don't, if you don't this is going to end badly for all of us, do you understand Nate?" Sophie said her voice harsher than she intended, but she needed him to see that drinking himself into a stupor was not going to help the situation. "Those three people out there are scared to death Nate. Not because their lives might be in danger, but because yours is, and you are in here drinking instead of out there planning. Do you understand Nate, they rely on you; they believe in you, they NEED you to be…to be sober and to…to be Nathan Ford the Mastermind who can beat anybody, they need to believe that."

"What if I can't…maybe this time I can't this time...?"

"You have too."

"Maybe it would be better if you all just left…" Nate said looking up and into his Grifter's eyes.

Sophie stared at him momentarily shocked by the suggestion. "Nate, don't you remember the message. If we leave, or if YOU leave, he will come after us outright…is that what you want?"

"No…no…I don't want…Goddammit…" Nate said suddenly throwing lifting his hand and throwing the glass smashing it against the wall.

"Then snap out of it…get your head in the game and come up with a plan." Sophie said not reacting to his outburst her voice firm.

Neither one said anything for a few minutes, Nate stared at the wall where the shattered glass lay he could feel her eyes on him. Sophie watched him for a minute, the tension between them hung in the air. Then she reached out and took his hand in hers.

"Take a minute…take an hour, but then you come out there and you start being somebody they can believe in. Ok Nate…Nate look at me." Sophie said putting her hand under his chin like a mother would with a child. "They need you to be there for them…they NEED YOU Nate." She said softly.

"Right…" Nate cleared his throat and swallowed hard. "Right…you are right…just…just give me a minute ok?"

"We'll be outside waiting. And Nate…leave the bottle." Sophie said as she opened the door and left closing it again behind her.

Nate watched her leave then smiled sadly as she closed the door. "God I love you Sophie. I am so sorry I have to do this…" He whispered to the closed door. "I just hope you all will understand." He said covering his face with his hands.

"Sophie…" Parker asked as the Grifter took her seat again.

"He'll be out in a while, Parker. Why don't you and Hardison go get some coffee ready?" Sophie told her. "He is going to need some." Parker nodded and rose dragging Hardison with her.

"Well…?" Eliot asked once they had left.

"I don't know. I think I got through to him but Eliot…I think…I think he believes he can't beat this guy. I have never seen him so…so utterly defeated." Sophie told him her voice shook with emotion.

"Well he can, and he will, and we are going to be there to help him do it." Eliot told her his voice steady and calm. "No matter what happens Sophie, he will keep trying because we need him too. You know that."

"I know, but he just seems so…so lost. I actually think that if this guy had not told him he would come after us if he left…I think…God help me but I think Nate would just walk out there and let him kill him." Sophie said to the Hitter her eyes filling with tears as she voiced her fears to him.

"Nate doesn't give up…Sophie, he doesn't give up on anything, he doesn't quit and he isn't about to start now."

Just then the door to the little office opened and Nate emerged, minus the whiskey bottle. He walked to the dining table and took a seat. Sophie and Eliot joined him without a word and Hardison and Parker took their seats after depositing a cup of coffee in front of the Mastermind. He smiled tiredly at them and nodded his thanks.

"Ok…so let's start from the beginning…" Nate said taking a sip of his coffee. "What do we know?"

Eliot was about to sum up the situation as they knew it but just at that moment Nate's phone buzzed notification of a message. Picking the phone up he looked around the table before opening the message.

**So what do you think our villain has to say now? What do you think Nate has planned? Next chapter will be up soon. Please review and let me know your thoughts. All reviews are truly appreciated. **


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 19

'_How does it feel Mr. Ford...to have failed again, to have let somebody die, to have let a child down, surely you could have figured it out by now Mr. Ford, though if you had, if you were good enough to do that, you could have saved Sterling. Perhaps you overestimate yourself; perhaps you are not as good as you think. Maybe I should have let Sterling live, maybe he would have been a more worthy opponent…it must be hard knowing that you cannot beat me and because of that you are going to cost your team, your family their lives. Now let me show you what it is like to watch somebody you love die because they are trying to protect you…until next time Mr. Ford…'_

Nate looked up at the rest of the team. The threat was clear. When, not if, when they did, and they would, because they were trying to protect him. When they came between him and Burns then this maniac would kill them. He knew that Burns would find a way to make that happen, and he would do it soon. He had to follow through with his plan. There was no turning back now, no matter how much he loathed having to do it.

The rest of the group said nothing after he had read the message out. They could see by the look on his face that he was shaken by the implication of the message. Nate cleared his throat and stood up from the table. He made his way to the kitchen and returned with a glass of amber liquid which he sipped, his eyes daring any one of them to challenge him. None of them did.

"Ok…so what do we know…?" Nate asked the group staring at him. He sat down at the table and picked up where he had left off before the message had arrived.

The next hour and a half was spent going through the information they had on their enemy. It was not much except a lot of speculation and bad news. Maggie joined them after a while telling them that Olivia was sound asleep and secure in the room. She sat down at the table and listened to the group discuss who was after them and how they could possibly hope to get ahead of him. Maggie could feel the tension in the room and she saw the looks of apprehension on the faces of Sophie and Eliot each time Nate refilled his glass. She watched Nate, he looked pale and tired. She could see a sheen of sweat had developed on his forehead and upper lip. She thought he looked shaky and unsure of himself. Nate shook his head as they bandied about ideas on what they could do.

"I just don't see how do to this. This guy has a strangle hold on us. He is one step ahead of us all the time. He knows everything about us and we know nothing of him…I just…I just can't…" Suddenly Nate started stammering, his face contorted as a burst of fire shot through his chest. "I…I…" He stammered before grabbing his arm and cringing from pain half fell out of his chair.

"Nate…Nate…" Eliot called out and grabbed the Mastermind lowering him to the ground before he fell. "Nate…" He said again.

"What's happening…?" Parker asked alarmed by the new development. "Eliot, what's wrong with Nate?" She almost shouted at the Hitter as she saw Nate writhing in pain on the floor.

"I think he is having a heart attack…Parker get the first aid kit now, we need the paddles too…go NOW Parker." Eliot said laying the now deathly still man out on the floor and leaning forward to determine what his status was. "He's not breathing…Hardison get over here I need you to breath for him."

Hardison was on the floor at Nate's head in a flash tilting the man's head back to enable him to administer CPR. Eliot put his head to Nate's chest and held his fingers to Nate's carotid artery to determine if he had a heartbeat. He did not.

"Sophie get Jules here." He told the Grifter as he ripped the buttons on Nate's shirt exposing his bare chest and then stared to administer chest compressions.

Parker returned with the medical kit and knelt next to Nate's unmoving frame on the floor as Sophie made the call. She hung up from Jules and fixed her eyes on Nate and the three members of their team trying to save his life. She felt Maggie take her hand and she squeezed it acknowledging the support. The two woman stood helplessly by as the scene unfolded before them.

"Ok...attach the defib we are going to need to shock him." Eliot told the Thief. Although Parker's eyes were wide with fright she worked with expert skill and attached them to Nate's chest. "Tell me when it's all clear to shock." Eliot told the Thief. He was working purely on adrenalin now; there was no emotion in his voice.

"Ready to shock." Parker reported.

"OK…Clear…Hardison Clear…" Eliot said telling the Hacker to remove the bag that covered Nate's mouth.

"160 Jules…" Eliot ordered. Parker nodded and administered the shock. Nate's body jerked as the electricity flowed through him. Eliot watched the Mastermind jerk then leaned in again.

"Still not breathing and no pulse…Parker again." He said as he sat back and away from the body.

"Charging…Ready…" Nate's body jerked again. Eliot leaned in and reported no change.

"Resume CPR…Parker get ready to shock again." He said as he started chest compressions. As he pressed down on Nate's chest he looked at the Mastermind. His eyes were wide open yet unseeing. Eliot knew, in that moment, he knew that they had lost Nate.

"Come on Nate…come on…" Sophie whispered as she watched them work on him her eyes brimming with unshed tears.

Even though Eliot knew their efforts were futile he continued CPR with Hardison. He was not prepared to admit that they had lost him. That he was dead. He would carry on and maybe when Jules got here he could bring him back, he would know what to do. Sophie received a call to let her know Jules was at the door and within minutes the doctor was beside Nate on the floor. He checked his vitals and asked Eliot how long they had been doing CPR. It had been over fifteen minutes.

"Charging…Ready…" Parker announced.

"No Parker…he's gone." Jules told her. "Parker…he's gone." He said again but she brushed him away and as Eliot and Hardison moved away Nate's body jerked once more. Eliot leaned in the check but looked up into the Thief's eyes as he reported no change.

"No…he can't be. Why…how…why…" Parker said sitting back on her knees and staring at the lifeless body of the Mastermind. Her mind did not want to comprehend that they had just lost Nate. That he was dead and there was nothing more they could do.

Eliot watched as Hardison kept squeezing the ambubag forcing air into Nate's lungs. Then placing a hand gently on the arm of the Hacker he pulled him away from Nate.

"Hardison…he's gone." Eliot said simply. Hardison stared at the Hitter then back at Nate then back to the Hitter. He could not believe it. Nate was dead. How could Nate be dead? What had just happened?

Time seemed to stand still for a few minutes. All of the people in the room were stunned into immovability. None of them could quite comprehend what had just happened. Then Eliot spoke to his friend softly.

"I think it was a heart attack…" He said sadly looking back down at Nate. Gently he reached down and closed the Masterminds eyes for the last time, his hand shaking slightly.

Suddenly Sophie was beside him pushing him away from Nate. She was sobbing uncontrollably and bending forward lifted Nate's inert form into her arms. Silently she rocked the Mastermind running her hand over his face then through his hair. Kissing him on the forehead she mumbled that she loved him, pleading with the dead man to come back to her, not to leave her. Eliot did not have the heart to tear her away although he knew he had to. He was just as much in shock as the rest and just sat watching as the Grifter fell apart, the man she loved lying dead in her arms. Eventually after what seemed like hours Maggie stepped forward and leaned over Sophie wrapping her arms around the distraught woman.

"Sophie…you have to let him go, please Sophie…come on…" Maggie said as Sophie fought her when she tried to pull her away from Nate. "Sophie please, let the doctor take care of him, the doctor and Eliot will take good care of him I promise." Maggie persisted. Eliot looked up at her as she said his name and suddenly he realized he had to take charge. He had to be strong for Sophie, for Parker for all of them. Pulling himself together he reached out for Nate.

"I'll look after him Sophie." He said his voice laden with the emotion he was feeling.

Sophie looked at the Hitter and knew that he would do just that. She knew she could trust Eliot to take care of Nate. She just did not want to let him go. Once she let him go she would never hold him again, never feel him again and she was not willing to give him up just yet.

She bent down to Nate's head and kissed him softly on the lips. "I love you." She whispered softly still gently rocking him backwards and forwards. "Please Nate, don't do this to me, don't leave me, I love you Nate…I never told you that…I never told you I love you…." She sobbed quietly. Her mind told her that he was gone, that he did not hear her, but her heart refused to accept it.

"Sophie…Sophie…SOPHIE… look at me." Jules called to her eventually getting her to look at him. "I need to take care of him Sophie. Please let me take care of him." He said to the grieving woman.

Jules leaned forward and took Nate from her hands and laid him down gently on the ground. He motioned to Eliot to take Sophie away to the couch and sit her down. Eliot nodded in response and slowly stood then pulled the woman up off the floor and half carried her to the couch. Sophie stood as Eliot pulled her up and maneuvered her away from Nate's body towards the couches. Her eyes remained fixed on Nate tears streaming down unheeded. Maggie watched as Eliot lead Sophie away then approached Parker who had not moved. She remained kneeling beside Nate's body her eyes unblinking as they stared at him.

"Parker, Parker honey, we need to let the doctor work…" Maggie said pulling the girl up and leading her to the couches as well.

Hardison looked from Nate to the doctor. Then he looked toward where Maggie was leading Parker away and moved to be with the little Thief. The doctor watched them go a deep sadness in his eyes. He took off his jacket and reverently placed it over Nate's head hiding his face from the others. Then he sat back down on the floor keeping vigil over the body until his people arrived.

The paramedics arrived a few minutes later. Jules let them into the building and showing them to Nate's body he instructed them on what he wanted. He watched closely as they loaded him on a gurney pulling a sheet over him and strapping him in.

"Take him out… I'll be out in a minute. I am going to catch a ride with you guys." Julius Stern told them before turning to face the group seated on the couches.

"I am so sorry Eliot…I will do the autopsy myself but I think you are right. It was a heart attack. The stress of the last weeks, the death of Sterling; the effects of the trauma he has suffered coupled with the drinking…" Jules told his friend. "I will let you know as soon as I have finished." He said and Eliot nodded his response. He found his throat was dry and his words just did not want to come out. Nate was dead. He was dead and now they had to deal with that. None of the others said a word as they watched him leave.

"We should make sure everything is locked up shouldn't we?" Maggie asked looking at the Hitter when nobody moved to follow Jules out and make sure the place was locked up.

Nobody answered her for a few minutes and then Hardison whispered softly, not in answer to her directly, no, he was just voicing all of their feelings.

"What the hell for…Nate is dead."

"Well you are not. We are not." Maggie said, she was just as upset as they were but she knew that Nate's priority would have been them, their safety and somehow she felt responsible for them now. She stood up and moved to the front to make sure everything was secure. As soon as she turned her back on them she allowed the tears she had been holding back to cascade down her face.

"Damn you Nathan Ford." She whispered to herself. "Damn you for leaving them, for leaving me. God Nate, what do we do now? What do I do…?" She asked as if she expected an answer, she knew however it would never come.

"He killed him. He killed him as sure as if he had put a gun to his head and pulled the trigger. He killed him and I am going to kill him." Sophie said softly to the man who held her tight.

Eliot nodded in response. "Yes…yes we are." To which Parker and Hardison who had listened to Sophie's softly spoken words and Eliot's immediate reply nodded agreement.

"We will find him and kill him." Parker said vehemently. They would avenge Nate, if it was the last thing they did.

**So what do you think? Please don't kill me for killing Nate. Do you think the team will get their revenge? What do you think the villain will do when he finds out Nate died of a heart attack? I will post the next chapter as soon as possible so as not to keep you hanging for too long. Please review and let me know your thoughts. I really appreciate each and every one.**


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

The next two days in the safe house were filled with tension and angst. They had not had any contact from the mystery man, much to Eliot's surprise. He had expected him to drop some sort of note to them gloating at Nate's death. Sophie was a wreck. She barely ate, barely slept and spent her days curled up with one of Nate's shirts on their bed drinking his favorite whiskey. Parker had withdrawn completely into herself. She sat reading through the files that still lay scattered throughout the place determined to find out who had done this, who had taken Nate away from her. Hardison did the same, not venturing very far from the Thief. Eliot spent his time between reading the files; trying to make sure everybody at least got some sustenance and working himself into exhaustion in the gym. He also made sure that Olivia was alright. The girl was now dealing with her grief at the loss of her father and the sudden loss of Nate as well. She spent most of her time in her room avoiding the others. Eliot supposed maybe she thought herself responsible for Nate's heart attack because of her reaction to her fathers' death and her attack on Nate. Jules had called to let him know that he had finished the autopsy and that they were correct in their assumption. Nate had suffered a massive coronary. He assured Eliot there was nothing they could have done to save him. Not that that gave any solace to Eliot in the least. Maggie had assumed the responsibility of arranging the funeral. She had arranged that he be buried beside his son. Jules had called that morning to confirm that the body would be released for burial the next day and Maggie had everything arranged for the funeral in the afternoon.

Sophie wondered out of her room to the kitchen. She was disheveled, her hair and clothing unkempt. She had no makeup on. Eliot did not ever think he would see her in that condition, Sophie usually took great care with her appearance, even in the direst of times. He knew she did not care. She did not care about anything. She was drinking heavily, doing exactly what Nate had done when he had lost the one person in his life he had loved more than anything. Eliot wanted to tell her to stop, to snap out of it, but he knew he couldn't. He was not strong enough to engage in that confrontation with Sophie, at least not now, he knew however he would have to sooner or later. Sophie shuffled past him to the cabinet that held the liquor. Opening it she found nothing. She went through the others and then turned on Eliot.

"Where is it…Eliot, where the hell is the whiskey?" She shouted at the Hitter slamming the cupboard door as she spoke.

"I threw it away." Parker said without looking up from the file she was reading.

"You WHAT…?" Sophie spat at the Thief.

"I threw it away. You don't need anymore." Parker said looking up at the Grifter. "I have lost Nate…I am not losing you too. And besides we have work to do and you being drunk all the time is not helping." Parker said to her. Sophie stormed at the young woman as if to attack her. Parker stared at her as she approached. "You can do whatever you like Sophie, but we need you sober not drunk. We need you like we needed Nate. I…we can't do this without you. You…you knew him…you knew him back then when he must have run across this man…you are the only one who can pick up his trail." Parker stared into the older woman's eyes challenging her. She did not care what Sophie did to her as long as it brought Sophie back to them. She meant what she said, she had lost Nate…she was not going to lose Sophie too.

Silence filled the room. Sophie stormed to where Parker sat and then stopped dead in her tracks. Maggie, Eliot and Hardison stood like statues watching the confrontation between the two women.

Sophie stared at the young woman who stood before her and challenged her in such a way. She took in the sad eyes, the tired, haggard look of the woman. She did not look like the carefree young woman she knew. Nate's death had taken a terrible toll on her too and suddenly Sophie was filled with remorse. This was her family, Nate's family. They needed her, Parker needed her and she had just worried about herself, the way she felt about losing Nate. She watched as a lone tear fell from Parkers eye and watched as Parker swiped it away angrily. She knew that dealing with emotion was hard for the woman. She could see that Parker was close to breaking. Sophie drew in a deep breath the reached out and pulled Parker into a tight hug.

"I'm sorry Parker…I'm sorry…I just…" Sophie said her eyes also awash with tears. She knew that Nate would not want her to do what she was doing. But now for the first time she understood what liquor had done for Nate. It had kept the nightmares at bay…it had made him numb to the constant pain he felt at the loss of his son. Now she was behaving the same way and suddenly holding Parker close she was ashamed of herself. "I'm so sorry."

The two women held on to each other for a long time just clinging to each other for strength. Sophie stroked Parkers hair gently as they embraced each other sharing their grief for the first time. Maggie watched the scene and a small smile touched the corners of her mouth. Maybe they were going to be alright after all. She turned back to the kitchen to continue with the preparation of the food she and Eliot were busy with.

"Hardison…why don't you set the table…the food will be ready in a bit." Eliot said to the Hacker. Hardison looked at the Hitter and then back at the two women.

"Yeah…yes ok…Eliot, it's going to alright isn't it, I mean, we're going to be alright?" Hardison said shakily looking to the Hitter for reassurance. The last two days he had watched as they all fell apart, Eliot, Sophie, Parker and he was afraid. He was afraid that he had not only lost Nate, a man he looked up to as a father figure, but he was also losing his family. He did not think he could bear that.

"No." Eliot replied." No Hardison it is never going to be alright. Nothing is ever going to be the same again. But I think we will get through this, as a family…we will get through this." Eliot said with a sigh and turned to help Maggie. Once the funeral was over, once they had laid Nate to rest, he was going to make sure that this family stayed together, it was what Nate would want…hell it was what he wanted. More than that he was going to make sure, somehow he was going to make sure they avenged their fallen leader and brought closure for all of them.

**I know a short chapter…I will post again very soon. Do you think that the mystery man will make and appearance at the funeral? How do you think the team will react when he does make contact with them? All comments, thoughts and speculation is much appreciated. Thank you to all of you who take the time to review the story; they really do inspire me to continue writing knowing that you all are enjoying it. **


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

"Just lie still…easy there now…" Jules said as Nate came back to consciousness. "Easy Nate…"

"Jules…what the…." Nate said his voice unsteady. He took a moment to remember what had happened then lay back and closed his eyes. Then he looked at Jules again and tried to sit up. He hissed with pain at the effort and Jules smiled sarcastically at him.

"Not good with following instructions are you Nate. I told you to take it easy and lie still."

"Yeah…I think I'll do just that." Nate said as he lay back again. "What happened?"

"Well, they tried so damn hard to save you they almost killed you…that's what happened." Jules told him with a sad smile. "CPR is very good if your heart has stopped…not so good if it actually hasn't, they were very intent on brining you back, even shocked you a couple times to many. Now you have a few cracked ribs to add to your list of ever growing injuries. Add to that you had a nasty reaction to the drug…I did tell you that might happen though, and with your system being at an all-time low, what with the trauma and the drinking…well you are lucky you are still here. You know you actually did die there for a minute or two?" Jules said seriously.

Nate listened as the doctor spoke but his mind was elsewhere. "How are they?" He asked softly ignoring the doctors last statement, it did not matter what happened to him as long as the team was safe.

"How do you expect them to be? You know what losing somebody does to you Nate…and they just lost the man central to their little family. You really ran a number on them."

"It had to be done." Nate said simply.

"Yes…so you say and I happen to agree with you, but it doesn't change the facts." Jules replied. Both men were silent for a while. "Your funeral is tomorrow."

"What…how long have I been out?" Nate said realizing that it must have been a while.

"Almost two days…I nearly lost you too remember…your system can't take much more of this you know. So believe me when I tell you that you are not getting out of that bed until at least tomorrow…" Nate made as if to argue but Jules was adamant. "There is nothing you can do today and you need the rest, you need to eat and you need to rest. Now I have kept an eye on them and this Burns character has not attempted to contact them yet. My guess is he will make his move at the funeral tomorrow."

Nate nodded in agreement and then thought of something else. "Sterling?"

"He's fine…still not completely with it though; the drug is taking a little longer than I thought to work out of his system. He is not going to be any help to you, but he will be fine. By the way, I stalled his funeral by saying that his body cannot be released because he did not die of natural causes. I did not think that you would want them all exposed at a funeral just yet…at least not until yours."

"Thanks Jules…" Nate smiled at him.

"Don't thank me till this is over."

"It is over for you. I'll take it from here."

"You are kidding right. You think I am going to let you go after this maniac on your own."

"Jules…this is not your fight and you have done more than enough already."

"You don't get it do you. I did not do this for you Nate, I did it for Eliot. Now, Eliot is still out there with the rest of his…your family. None of them are safe until Burns is taken out of the picture and you cannot do that alone, so you have me whether you want me or not."

"Jules…you don't know what this guy is capable of…"

"Yeah, I have a fair idea. Anyway, Eliot is going to be madder than hell with me for what I did, and I am hoping to soften the blow by returning you alive to him. Now there will be no more arguments because you are not going to change my mind."

"Fine…fine…Have it your way." Nate said. He was too tired to argue with the man right now. He was sore and he was exhausted, he would deal with Jules in the morning. Jules was right, he needed to rest. He knew tomorrow he would have to make his move because Burns would undoubtedly be at the funeral; that is where he had to get hm.

"Ok…well I am going to get you some food and then you are going to get some real sleep…" Nate threw him a sarcastic look…he had been sleeping for two days. "No Nate, not a drug induced semi-coma, real honest to God sleep ok." Jules said seeing the look and smiling at the Mastermind.

"Ok…" Nate replied his voice fading on the word as his eyes slid closed.

Jules looked down at the Mastermind and shook his head slowly. Keeping him alive was not going to be an easy task he thought to himself. He decided that food could wait. He wanted the man to get as much sleep in as he could, tomorrow was going to be a hard day and Nate would need to be as refreshed as possible. Luckily the funeral was in the afternoon he thought. Nate would have the morning to plan his approach. Then, once Nate had Burns in sight, all hell was going to break lose…Jules was sure of that.

Nate woke early the next morning and after lying still for a while decided to try to get up. He managed to push himself to the edge of the bed and then into a standing position before a wave of dizziness forced him back onto the bed. His chest hurt as he took two deep breaths, a reminder of the broken ribs. Not to be discouraged Nate pushed himself up again and stood swaying slightly. He shuffled unsteadily to the bathroom and leaned on the basin. Turning the tap on, he splashed his face with some cold water then stared at his reflection in the mirror. His hair was in more of a mess than usual; his eyes were puffy and red. He had a heavy stubble on his chin from not shaving, actually he looked like a wreck. He decided that a shower and a shave and maybe he would feel a little better.

Jules heard as Nate turned on the taps in the bathroom and smiled to himself. He was a damn stubborn man he thought to himself. Shaking his head he too climbed out of bed and made his way into the kitchen to make some coffee and start the breakfast. He knew Nate would want to start working as soon as he was finished in the bathroom and he wanted him to eat something before he did anything else.

"Feeling better?" Jules asked as Nate emerged from his room looking slightly better than he had the previous evening.

"Much…" Nate said taking at seat at the table. Jules put a cup of coffee and a glass of water in front of him, along with two pain tablets. Nate looked up and smiled his thanks downing the two tablets with the water then sitting back and watching as Jules finished up the breakfast.

"So what's the plan?" Jules asked after he had finished clearing the dishes and had refreshed both their cups of coffee.

Nate did not reply. He stared at his cup of coffee thinking. What was his plan? He was sure that Burns would be at the funeral, he would not miss the opportunity to witness first-hand the misery he had caused. No he would be there. But then what? He did not want to confront the man at the funeral. That would put the others in danger and that was exactly what he did not want, that is why he had done what he had done, to keep them alive and safe. This was going to end only in one of two ways, Nate knew that. Either he was going to walk away or Burns was. Actually he corrected himself, there were three ways it could end…they could both end up dead.

"Nate…I take it you have a plan?" Jules broke into his thoughts.

"Working on it…" Nate said in his customary way bringing a scowl to Jules' face.

"Great, well work fast…the funeral is in six hours."

"Yeah…got it thanks." Nate said sarcastically.

Jules shook his head in frustration at Nate's tone. "Well I'll leave you too it then shall I?" He said as he stood from the table. "I'm going to get cleaned up." Nate did not respond; he was too deep into thought. Jules shook his head again and made his way to his room muttering about stubborn, uncooperative, exasperating men.

When Jules returned to the table after an hour he found Nate where he had left him, the only difference was a small glass of amber liquid in front of him.

"So you found the whiskey…do you think that is the best idea at the moment?" Jules asked caustically.

"Probably not…but it helps me think." Nate replied taking a sip and smiling at the doctor. "Don't worry I don't intend getting drunk." He added.

"I bloody well hope not." Jules said pouring himself a cup of coffee and taking his seat at the table.

"So…plan…?"

"Yeah, well we go to the funeral, we see if we can spot Burns…then…"

"Then what…?"

"Then I follow him back to wherever he is hold up. I don't want to confront him at the funeral, that will put them in danger and all of this will have been for nothing."

"Not for nothing, you wanted to draw him out…if he is there then mission accomplished. The others can help you take him down." Jules said. He really had hoped that Nate would use Eliot and the others to help him bring Burns down. To do it on his own was close to suicide as far as he was concerned.

"No Jules, I can't take the chance. I don't think he is working alone. He might come to the funeral alone but what if he doesn't? As soon as I confront him Eliot and the rest will be involved and Burns will target them of that you can be sure. If he is not alone, then I can't protect them, I won't know where the threat is coming from."

"So what…we follow him to his lair and then confront him? If he is not working alone his partners, or lackeys, will most certainly be there don't you think?"

"Probably…but I can scope out the place before making a move. Get the layout and the numbers then go in." Nate replied. He had no intension of letting Jules get anywhere near Jason Burns. He would play along with Jules helping until they got to the funeral and made the ID. After that he would lose Jules. This was his job, and his alone.

Jules eyed the Mastermind wearily. He knew that Nate was not intending on letting him get involved. Not really. Well Nate did not know Julius Stern very well, he was not going to get rid of him that easily, especially when Jules suspected that was exactly what Nate would try and do.

"Nate be reasonable, you can't take this guy on alone. At least get Eliot involved once you have ID'd him. Going after him alone is just plain suicidal, especially in your condition."

"But I won't be alone…I have you." Nate smiled at the man suddenly scared that Jules really would let Eliot in on their secret. That was the last thing he wanted. He wanted to reassure Jules that he would use him to help take down Burns so as to prevent him from going to the team.

"Yeah…right." Jules said his voice heavy with sarcasm. As much as Nate tried to convince him that he was not planning on going after Burns alone, he did not believe a word. Jules started making his own plans then, plans to keep Nate and himself alive, plans that involved Nate's team whether he liked it or not.

"Jules…I need your word that you will not bring any of them in on this." Nate said seriously. He was not going to allow that.

"As long as you include me in all your plans…you have my word." Jules responded.

"Deal." Nate said holding out his hand to the doctor.

"Right, well why don't we get ready it's nearly time. I mean you don't want to be late for your own funeral do you?" Jules said lightly eliciting a light smile from Nate.

"True…and I want to be there before the rest, I need to get the layout of the place and we need to find a place to observe without being seen…after all it is not good form for you to show up at your own funeral is it?" Nate replied with a hint of humor in his voice, he was feeling a lot better after the meal and the shower. Not to mention the pills and the whiskey.

Three quarters of an hour later found the two men in Jules care heading for the church Nate was to be buried out of.

**So Nate is NOT dead…sorry for causing all that angst amongst my readers **** (Especially Sphinx and KendraBC) Now…what do you think will happen at the funeral? Will Burns show up? Will Nate be able to trace him back to his place without Jules following him? What is Jules planning to not let that happen? Do you think Jules will ultimately involve the team? So many questions…I will post the next chapter soon. Thank you all so very much for your reviews…they are so very, very much appreciated. Please let me know what you think about this chapter. I cherish all your comments, thoughts and speculations too…keep them coming.**


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

As they approached the church Nate smiled to himself. Of course Maggie would have arranged his funeral here. Where else but Father Paul's church would she do it? This was going to make things a lot easier. He knew this church; it was where he had attended every Sunday, where his son had been baptized and buried from. It was where he had been married to Maggie. Paul was an old friend from his seminary days. He knew the layout and he knew where things were, both in and outside of the church.

"So what do we do now?" Jules asked parking the car at the far end of the parking lot.

"Now you wait here and go in with the rest. I'll go round the back and get a good vantage point. Hopefully I spot him on his way in." Nate told the doctor.

"Ok…well what are we looking for, height, weight…anything?"

"I honestly don't know. The last time I say Jason Burns was seventeen years ago and he was very young then. But if I see him I will know him, I am sure of that." Nate said.

"Ok…so you get into position and watch everybody coming in and when you spot him you let me know and we follow him after? That's the plan right?" Jules asked the Mastermind watching him carefully as he answered.

"More or less..." Nate confirmed.

"Good…well take this." Jules handed him an earbud. "And you let me know the minute you spot him. And Nate just remember our deal." Jules said as he put his earbud in.

"Yes…yes I remember…" Nate said as he too put his earbud in. Nate looked at his watch, it was nearly two. "People are going to start arriving soon so I am going to get into position."

"Ok…I'll wait for your signal that you have ID'd him then?"

"Yes…and Jules… thanks." Nate said to the man holding out his hand.

Jules took his hand and patted him on the back. "Good luck Nate, and be careful." Nate nodded and then was gone.

Jules sighed heavily; he had a bad feeling that that was the last time he was going to see Nate, at least here at the church anyway. Climbing back into his car he awaited the arrival of the other mourners. Soon the car park began filling up and people started milling outside the church. Jules climbed out of the car and started casually mingling with the different groups. He was hoping that he could spot somebody suspicious looking, somebody on their own who looked out of place. He was surprised by the amount of people present. The variety of different people also impressed him, from Mobsters to Police Officers. He did however pick up from the different conversations that most were ex-clients of Leverage Consulting. People the team and Nate had helped over the years. Father Paul appeared at the doors of the church and bade everybody to enter and take their seats. Eliot and the others had not yet arrived so Jules decided to wait outside for them. A long limousine pulled up to the front of the church and Eliot climbed out then helped Sophie out. Hardison and Parker were next then finally Olivia and Maggie exited the vehicle. He could see the strain of grief on all of their faces. With the two men supporting the woman they made their way up the stairs and into the church. Eliot nodded a greeting at Jules and then passed by. Jules waited for them to enter then followed behind taking a seat in the back row.

"Nate…Nate…you see anything." Jules asked whispered.

"No." Nate replied tersely. Nate's full attention was now fixed on the six people entering the church. Sophie and Eliot led Hardison and Parker with Maggie and Olivia bringing up the rear. Watching them closely and seeing the grief and devastation on their faces he felt a pang of guilt and remorse. He shook his head and told himself this is what he had to do. He watched as they took their seats in the front of the church and Father Paul stood to start the service. Suddenly his eye caught the image of a man standing at the back of the church. He had come in late and had made his way into the shadows at the back. Nate strained to make out his appearance and then looking at him closely he realized he was looking at his nemesis. This was Jason Burns. There was no question in his mind.

"Nate, you see anything?" Jules asked again under his breath.

"No, nothing yet..." Nate lied easily.

"You still think he is coming? Do you think maybe you missed him coming in? There are a lot of people here." Jules said looking around the packed church.

"I don't know…I'll just keep looking out for him. I will meet you at the car afterwards." Nate said as he listened to the moving speech that Father Paul was giving about him.

Once Father Paul was finished he told the congregation that Nate's friends had some words to say. Eliot was the first to rise and speak. Nate cringed at the amount of emotion the Hitter was showing. He could see that Eliot was hurting and he knew he had done this to him, to them. He wondered if they would ever forgive him, assuming he survived the rest of the day. Again guilt overwhelmed him and again he told himself that it had to be done. When Sophie finally got up and spoke it was all Nate could do to stop himself from revealing his presence and ending her pain. When it was all done, the four of them plus Detective Patrick Bonnano and Maggie took their places as pall bearers and escorted his coffin out of the church. Nate kept his eyes on Burns who had developed a smile during the emotional speeches of his team. He was enjoying their pain and Nate's anger rose as he watched him. When they passed him he stood and followed them out into the car park. Nate quickly followed keeping to the shadows. He did not think Burns would trouble himself to go to the graveyard; he had got what he wanted. He had witnessed their misery at Nate's death. Nate followed him to his car and unseen by Burns attached a homing device before moving off to where Jules had parked. Removing the earbud from his ear he slipped it into the envelope containing the pre-written note to Jules. He whispered he was sorry and placed the envelope under the wipers then disappeared behind the church to get the car he knew Father Paul kept there for church business. In a matter of minutes he had popped the locks and was on his way following the signal being emitted by the device he had planted.

Jules arrived at his car to find an envelope under is wipers. Cursing silently he opened it up and was not surprised to see the earbud there. Taking out the note he read it his face betraying his thoughts.

"Damn you Nate, we had a deal." Jules said to the absent Mastermind. "Well now you leave me no choice." He said getting into the car and following the cavalcade out into the road towards the graveyard. He had known this was always a possibility, actually he had rather expected it and he had taken precautions. Although he wanted to rush ahead he decided that he could not, he had to just follow behind and catch up with Nate's team at the gravesite. He cursed himself for a fool when he realized that he had left the most crucial element of his device was missing. He could not track Nate without it, but he knew that Hardison would be able to come up with something.

Arriving at the Graveyard he parked his car in an area where it would be easy for him to leave quickly then made quick time in getting to the gravesite itself. There he found that the coffin had already been placed in preparation for lowering and the team, Maggie and Olivia were seated in the front row in front of the freshly dug grave. He moved over and bent down to whisper in Eliot's ear.

"Eliot I need to speak to you."

"What…?" Eliot asked surprised by Jules' request.

"Now Eliot it's urgent please." Eliot looked at Sophie and Parker then nodded and rose up to follow Jules a short distance from the group of people still gathering around the grave.

"Firstly let me say I am sorry." Jules drew and deep breath then continued. "Secondly Nate is not dead."

Eliot stared at the man incredulously. "What did you say?" He asked his friend in a hard voice.

"I said Nate is not dead." Jules repeated and then seeing the anger rise in Eliot's eyes he continued hastily. "You can kill me later Eliot. Nate has gone after this madman alone and I need your help. HE needs your help."

"Nate is not dead." A female voice interrupted them. Sophie, Parker and Hardison stood there staring at both of them looks of complete and utter disbelieve on their faces.

"What the hell man?" Hardison said his voice now tinged with anger as he realized what Nate had done.

"Look I know you are all angry and shocked and everything else, but I need your help, Nate needs you. He has gone after this guy alone and in his condition…well it is tantamount to suicide." Jules said snapping them out of their anger and disbelieve at Nate's actions.

"Where is he?" Parker asked. She for one was going to get to Nate before he really did die.

"I don't know. I managed to get a tracking and listening device on to him before we split up but…well in the tracking part is missing…I can't find it, so it is useless."

"Not useless…what type of tracking device…do you know the frequency?" Hardison asked taking out his phone.

"I think it is 120MHz but I'm not sure." Jules said smiling as the team sprang into action. "I have my car here we can go in that." He said leading them toward the parked vehicle, leaving a stunned looking group of mourners behind including Maggie and Father Paul. Maggie threw a look at Detective Bonnano who simply shrugged.

"You get used to it." He said as he watched the five people head towards the parked car.

"Hardison anything…?" Eliot asked as he got into the drivers' seat and Jules threw him the keys.

"Nothing yet..."

"Dammit Hardison I need a direction." He said as they all crammed into the car and Eliot started the engine.

"Ok…Ok I think I got something…Yeah that's it. Eliot head north toward the docks..." Hardison said then adjusting something else on the phone handed out earbuds to each of them, except Jules. "Sorry don't have one for you."

"No problem I have my own. Will I be able to tune in too?" He asked as he held out his earbud to Hardison. "Yeah, let me just adjust this and there you go." Hardison said handing the earbud back to Jules who immediately put it in his ear.

"Ok guys we can hear Nate but he will not be able to hear us." Hardison told them as they sped toward Nate's signal.

The signal had stopped moving fast, Nate had obviously left the vehicle and was on foot. Silence fell as their ears were filled with Nate's voice.

"Hi guys…I'm here to see Mr. Burns." Nate said as he approached the four armed men standing at the foot of the gangplank of Burn's boat. All of the men pointed their guns at him simultaneously and cocked their weapons. Nate however did not budge. "I don't think your boss will be very happy with you if you shoot me, why don't you just go tell him Nathan Ford is here to see him."

The big burly man standing behind the rest nodded at them to keep their guns on Nate and he headed back to tell his boss of this new development. A few minutes later he returned and summoned Nate onto the boat. Nate smiled slightly and started up the gangplank.

"God damn you Nate…when this is over I am going to kill you myself…" Sophie hissed under her breath as relief mixed with anger filled her on hearing Nate's voice.

**Oh dear Nate is doing it again, rushing in where angels fear to tread. What do you think Burn's reaction to Nate being alive is going to be? Do you think the team will get there in time? What do you think the team are going to do to Nate for pulling this stunt on them? I will post again as soon as I can. Thanks for the reviews…I am glad you are all happy that Nate is still alive **** Hope you enjoyed this chapter, please leave your thoughts, comments and speculation. I really appreciate every single one of them.**


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

"You look very good for a dead man." Burns said as Nate was ushered in.

"I could say the same for you." Nate replied.

Burns smiled slightly then indicated to the heavy he could leave and showed Nate to a seat. Nate looked at him then let his eyes wonder around the room. Spotting what he was looking for he walked over to the wet bar and poured himself a whiskey. Lifting his glass to Burns he then took a seat and leaned back into the plush chair sipping his drink.

"So…seventeen years, that's a long time to wait to get your revenge don't you think?" Nate asked casually.

"I've been busy. When did you know?"

"Sterling."

"Ah….of course."

"Yeah well, as soon as you went after Sterling that narrowed the list to a very small number of possibilities. We did not work together on too many cases and well, the type of thing that was going on, it narrowed it down to just one…you." Nate explained.

"Very clever, I did not think that he would call you, after all he did try to get you in jail on more than one occasion, plus that trick he pulled on you in Dubai. I guess I underestimated his respect for you after all." Burns said realizing his mistake.

"I wouldn't go so far as to say respect, but…yeah you did underestimate me." Nate replied meaningfully.

"Still have quite an opinion of yourself don't you?" Nate did not respond he just waited for the man to continue. "Tell me, have you figured out how I managed to stay one step ahead of you?"

Nate raised his eyebrows and took a sip of the whiskey but did not respond.

"No…? TUT TUT…not as clever as you think are you?" Burns smirked at Nate's silence. Nate merely smiled at the man infuriating him by not rising to the bait.

"Think about it Mr. Ford…how could I possibly have known what was going on in your world, in your house." Burns continued watching Nate for any reaction he might get. "I know you figured out the earbuds…again clever, I should have been more careful with my words to you…but that did not stop me from knowing did it?" Burns said seeing a slight flicker of interest from Nate.

"Ah…I can see your brain working, well think about it Mr. Ford. Who do you work with? Do you really trust them? Can you really trust them?" Burns said enjoying the now concerned look that crossed Nate's face.

"Let's summarize shall we…" Burns said getting up to get a drink from the wet bar and leaving Nate to wonder what he was talking about. Burns returned to his seat and before continuing he raised his glass to Nate. "We have a Grifter…she has conned you into a relationship with her, made you believe you love her and she loves you…but isn't that her job? Do you really think she stays in this little group for you? Money Mr. Ford, money is a Grifter's only friend and you know it. Let's face it, you might be doing good work or that is the way you see it but it is the money that keeps her there, easy money thanks to you." Burns said smugly.

Nate said nothing just stared at Burns giving nothing away in his expression.

"Then…let's see we have a thief. A thief, I mean really Mr. Ford, you have sunk low haven't you, working with common criminals…" Burns said frustrated that he was getting no response at all from Nate. "A thief who values money above all else in the world, something she makes abundantly clear on many occasions. Then we have…oh yes, that Hacker of yours. He is really good or is he. I mean he did not catch my virus until you instructed him to look again…do you think that was an error on his part, or maybe he is not as good as you think, or he thinks, or maybe he did not want to catch it?" Burns continued watching Nate intently but still getting no response. "Finally maybe the one you trust more than the rest, but really should you. He is a Hitter, he kills for money…he would kill you if he thought he had a good reason to, and maybe you have given him one, I don't know, but he is, or rather was rumored to be the best in the business, but he could not protect you from getting shot, blown up, and how DID I get that poison in the gum HE bought you…? Finally think about this: why would I not harm them…?"

"_Hardison how far are we because I am going to kill this guy myself." Sophie whispered as the listened to Burns try to convince Nate that one of them, or all of them were in on this._

"_You'll have to stand in line…" Hardison muttered as he checked the signal. "Oh damn…"_

"_Hardison…" Eliot asked hearing the frustration in Hardison's voice._

"_He must be on a boat because it is moving out to sea…" Hardison said watching as Nate's signal moved further and further off shore._

Nate said nothing to Burns' accusations or rather intimations about his team and their possible involvement. Instead he rose and poured himself another glass of whiskey brining the bottle back to the chair with him. He could feel movement beneath his feet and raised his eyebrow again to Burns.

"We going somewhere…?" He asked as he sat down

"I thought we should be alone to end this…I mean we would not want anybody interrupting our reunion now would we?" Burns told him as the boat picked up speed as it left the harbor.

Nate said nothing, he had semi-expected this and was glad of it. If Jules had gone to the team, and if they figured out where he was, although he doubted that was possible, at least they would not be able to get involved. Although if what Burns was saying was true…No he shook his head slightly, not one of them would betray him, they had gone through too much, he knew them too well…they were his family, his only family. But if it was, then they, or at least one of them, knew where he was already.

"So Nate…Betrayal…it is a nasty thing isn't it?" Burns said with a smirk. Although Nate had tried to keep his expression neutral, a small amount of concern, and perhaps a little fear showed as he contemplated the possibility of one of his team, or all of them being involved in this. "Maybe you are feeling a little of what my Father felt when you betrayed him."

"You father…" Nate looked up at him. Now he understood. "I did not betray your father, I brought a criminal, a traitor to his country to justice. And as for you…you have no feeling for your father, you are a psychopathic bastard with no emotional connection to anything or anyone but yourself, so don't tell me this is about your father." Nate told him causing the man to tense up and a flicker of anger to cloud his expression.

"Say what you want Mr. Ford. You tricked my father into believing you a friend and then you betrayed him. You killed him." Burns spat at Nate.

"No…no I did not kill him, he killed himself. He had a choice, he could hand himself over and face the consequences of his actions, but instead he took the cowards way out and put a bullet through his head." Nate said smiling at the man as he saw the anger burn behind his eyes. Nate downed the rest of the whiskey in his glass and before pouring himself another he continued. "That left you holding the bag, didn't it? And you hate him for that, and blame me." Nate said sitting back into the chair again locking eyes with Burns.

_Eliot brought the car to a halt in front of a charter boat hire place. It was closed but they were not planning on hiring one anyway. The five of them piled out of the car and onto the nearest charter._

"_Hardison…" Eliot barked._

"_Yeah got him…" Hardison said as Eliot stared the boat and the engine roared into life._

"_Hold on guys…" He shouted over the din and then pushed the throttles to full._

_As they sped through the water bouncing off the waves Parker turned to Sophie._

"_He can't really believe any one of us would…" Parker asked her pout deeper than usual and the sadness and concern in her eyes almost brining Sophie to tears._

"_No Parker…Nate knows none of us would ever betray him, any more than he would betray us." Sophie reassured her. Parker nodded and fought her way to the front of the boat to stand with Eliot and Hardison leaving Sophie alone. She kept her eyes on the three younger team members and shook her head as her mind raced through the events that had brought them to this point. I really would like to know how the hell he did know everything though, she thought to herself._

"You think you are so clever…but I beat you." Burns said his anger now boiling over.

"No you haven't. I beat you then, and I beat you now. You are the one who thinks they are so clever…Oh…by the way I forgot, Sterling sends his regards…." Nate said softly watching as Burns melted down.

"No you have not damn well beat me…you are here, I can kill you now and nobody can stop me. You are a dead man Ford…a DEAD MAN." He hissed at Nate.

"Maybe…but my team is safe." Nate said calmly taking another sip from his glass as he watched Burns pull a gun out and point it at him.

Burns looked at the man before him. He hated him. He hated the way he sat calmly drinking whiskey in the face of his own death. He hated that he had bested him at his own game. He hated that he had ruined his plans, then and now. Then he calmed down slightly. Ford was doing this on purpose; he was pushing him to lose his temper, to give him a quick death. That was not going to happen, that was not what he had planned for the man. He smiled slightly at Nate and lowered the gun.

"Nice try…" He said sitting back down. "But you are still going to regret ever crossing me Ford…and as for your team, and Sterling, well when I am done with you I will deal with them." Burns said softly.

"So no betrayal then…" Nate laughed at him and Burns realized that Nate had tricked him again. Silence hung between the two men as they stared each other down.

"_Just keep stalling Nate…we are almost there." Eliot said to himself as he listened to the conversation. _

**Well there is chapter 24…Do you think Nate has a plan and if so what do you think it is? Will the team be able to get to Nate? How did Burns know everything he did? Did somebody betray Nate, and if so who? I know many questions still unanswered. Please let me know what you thought of the chapter, all reviews gratefully accepted. **


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

"I see them…there…." Parker called out as she spotted Burns' boat.

"Yeah that's them alright…" Hardison confirmed.

"Come on…come on…" Eliot said trying to urge more speed out of the boat.

"They are going to spot us you know…I doubt they don't like guns." Jules said as he and Sophie joined the group in the wheelhouse.

"Jules is right Eliot…how are we going to do this?" Sophie asked as she watched the boat ahead of them. They were gaining on it and she was not sure what they would do when the caught up to it.

"Yeah I know…too late now so we have to go with what we got…Parker, Hardison have a look around see what we go below decks, Sophie you and Jules, do the same top decks." Eliot said. They all nodded and set about their search.

"I think the game is up…they are putting on speed." Eliot called as the Burns' boat picked up speed and started pulling away from them. "Dammit…come on…" Eliot growled. He did not like the way the conversation onboard the other boat was going.

"Well…" Sophie asked Parker as she and Hardison joined them on deck.

"We got a flare gun, some life jackets but nothing else." Parker replied in disappointment, she had been hoping for a gun or a knife or something they could use. "You…"

"Some diesel, life jackets and an air tank for diving, but nothing else." Sophie replied.

"_So you did not come here alone…thought that your team could save you …I must say they were very convincing at your funeral though." Burns said assuming that Nate had told his team his plan and had them follow him when he was informed of the chasing boat._

"_No…no..." Nate said and for the first time Burns heard concern almost fear in his voice. _

"_Lonman…blow it out of the water." Burns said to the large man who had ushered Nate on the boat earlier. The man nodded and smiled an evil smile as he left the cabin._

"_Well…this is even better than I thought, you will get to see the demise of your team…You can watch them die and know it is your fault, you brought their deaths upon them." Burns said reading the fear on Nate's face and delighting in the mans angst. He picked up the gun he had held earlier and motioned that Nate move out onto the deck. _

_Nate walked out onto the deck and watched as the boat approached. He saw Lonman standing on the deck with a missile thrower in his hands and his heart clenched in fear._

"_Now Mr. Ford…you can watch as Lonman blows your precious team to bits." Burns said nodding to his man to fire._

"Guys hold on…I got to take some evasive action." Eliot called to the rest of the team and Jules. He swung the charter away from the boat they were pursuing throwing up a large wake as the boat suddenly turned at a steep angle. A minute later an explosion in the water indicated where the missile fired by Lonman had landed. "That was close…" Eliot muttered as he swung the boat around again. He knew it would take whoever was firing at them a few minutes at least to reload.

"_See Mr. Ford…I win." Burns said triumphantly. He watched as Nate showed the absolute panic he felt and then the pure relief as he saw that they had managed to avoid the missile. He knew however that they would eventually not be able to avoid one of Lonman's missiles and he knew what he had to do._

"_No…not quite yet Burns…" Nate said as he pulled the detonator from his jacket pocket. "You lose." Nate said as he pressed the button. _

_A sudden calmness had come over Nate's face as a long steady tone was emitted from the device he held. In that split second Burns realized what was happening. Nate had planted a bomb on his boat. He did not know when, he did not know how, but the last thought he had before he was thrown violently into the water by the large explosion which rocked the boat was one of complete disbelieve that Nathan Ford had bested him again. Nate closed his eyes as he saw the ball of fire erupt and then he felt himself being thrown backward off the boat and into the water as the boat was torn apart by the bomb he had planted before boarding it. Hitting the water with some force he felt as if all the air in his lungs was being forcibly removed and then his mind went blank as he blacked out._

"Oh my God…" Sophie said as she saw the other boat explode. "Nate…"

Eliot pulled back on all the throttles bringing the boat to a sudden stop. He turned it toward the smoldering wreck and slowly approached what was left of Burns' boat. His eyes were fixed on the water looking for bodies.

"Nate…" Sophie whispered as they came up on a body lying face down in the water.

Eliot steered the boat so that Jules would be able to pull the body onto the back of the charter which had a wet deck at the back. They could all see it was not Nate, this was a big man. Jules pulled it out and once on deck he turned the body over to reveal the man called Lonman. Jules looked up at Eliot and shook his head indicating that the man was dead. Eliot turned the boat and moved slowly between the wreckage.

"Eliot to the left…over there." Hardison called out pointing to a body of a man bobbing in the water. Eliot nodded and turned the boat towards it. Again he coaxed the boat into a position that Jules could pull the body on board.

Jules pulled Nate out of the water and onto the boat. He felt for a pulse and let out the breath he had been holding when he found one. "He's alive…" Jules said then started checking out Nate for other injuries.

Shutting the engine down Eliot joined the others who were all gathered around Jules and the prostrate figure of Nate on the deck. Jules did a cursory check to see if there were any major injuries or bleeding. He found none. "Eliot help me get him inside." Jules asked the Hitter who immediately moved forward to help carry Nate into the cabin laying him on the bed.

"Jules…?" Eliot asked looking down at the Mastermind then up at his friend.

"He seems fine…no broken bones, no bleeding, there could be internal injuries but I won't know that until I can check him out properly. He is unconscious but his breathing is stable and he has a steady heartbeat. But the sooner we can get him back the better." Jules told him. "He is one lucky SOB…" Jules said as he turned back to Nate.

"What about Burns…?" Sophie asked looking at the Hitter. She did not care if the man was alive or not, actually she hopped he was not she realized with a slight tinge of guilt. She was merely concerned that if he did survive somehow, that he would come after Nate again and she could not take much more of this, never mind Nate.

"We'll worry about that once we have Nate safely back and taken care of." Eliot replied. "If he did survive the blast then…well I don't think he could make it back to shore anyway." Eliot said then left to get the boat started and headed back to the marina.

Sophie sat down on the bed beside Nate and took his hand in hers. Although she was beyond angry with the man whose hand she held, she could not hold back the tears of relief that spilled from her eyes.

**Thanks to all my readers I really truly appreciate all the reviews you have taken the time to give. I hope you enjoyed this chapter too. Please let me know what you thought of this it, I look forward to reading all your reviews. **

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	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Nate emerged from unconsciousness to find himself faced with four very angry, very concerned faces. He could feel the combined weight of their anger hanging in the room and he was tempted to just close his eyes again and avoid what he knew was coming.

"So that was your plan Nate…to blow yourself to pieces…?" Eliot growled as he saw the Mastermind open his eyes. He was angry, very angry. Nate had first put them through hell thinking he was dead and then tried to really kill himself by blowing himself to smithereens.

"Eliot…"

"No don't 'Eliot' me Nate. Just what the hell have you been thinking the last few days huh…? Do you even know what you have put us through, what you have done to us Nate…Did you even consider what watching you die would do to us…not being able to save you no matter what we did…Having to attend your damn funeral?" Eliot said barely able to contain his anger now.

Nate ran his hands over his face and then pushed himself up in the bed to a sitting position. He looked at each of the members of his team and saw the same expression on all of their faces. Anger, yes there was definitely anger, but more than that, there was hurt. He had caused that pain, he had caused that, but he could not bring himself to ask for their forgiveness for it. His plan had gone a little awry, thanks to the reaction he had had to the drug. They should never have had to go through what they had. The drug had worked way to fast, he had not been able to spare them the agony of trying to save him and fail to. He knew what that did to a person and he could see their pain now and he knew he had caused it, even though it was what he had to do, well it hurt. Still, Nate was not prepared to back down from his position.

"I was keeping all of you safe and alive." He stated.

"Oh no you don't Nate. Don't give me that bullshit. We are a team, more than that we are a family. You don't get to do what you did. You have a plan to keep us safe, great, you tell us what it is and then we use it. You don't get to let us WATCH YOU DIE…you don't get to do that and then just shrug it off." Eliot raged at the man moving ever closer to the bed he lay in, his eyes burning with anger at Nate's actions.

"I did what was necessary." Nate said holding Eliot's gaze and not flinching. "I'm not going to apologize for that. I am sorry for one thing though…For the way I had to do it, but I won't apologize for doing what I needed to, to keep you all alive and safe. Burns would have kept coming at me, and you would have got in the middle. I would not have been able to…to stop him from hurting you or…or worse." Nate said to his Hitter and he saw the anger suddenly dissipate to be replaced with…disappointment, maybe tinged with sadness.

"You still just don't get it Nate? After five damn years you still don't get it do you?" Eliot said his voice softening to a whisper.

"Get what Eliot…get that I am responsible for you all. That I need to keep you safe and protected, that I have to do whatever is necessary to achieve that…Yeah I get it Eliot."

"No you don't…Nate…you, you feel you need to do that and maybe you do, but…but did you ever stop to think that WE need to keep you safe…that WE feel just as responsible for you…that when you get hurt, or…or…" Eliot drew a deep breath trying to calming himself before continuing. "That WE suffer every time you put yourself deliberately in danger to protect us. That you don't TRUST us to protect you and this family…TRUST ME..." Eliot asked him.

Nate just looked at Eliot. Then looked away as the intensity on the man's face made him feel uncomfortable and maybe even a little guilty at what he had put them all through.

"Look guys…I" Nate swallowed hard looking up and straight into the soft brown eyes of Sophie. "I need to…I can't…I can't let you guys…" Nate could not get to the words he wanted to say. Why did they not understand that they were the most important thing in his life and he would not survive losing any one of them? Why did they not understand that losing one of them would be like losing his son all over again?

"Can't let us what Nate…get hurt? Die…" Sophie suddenly stepped into the conversation. "But you are quite ok with us watching you get hurt…or worse?"

"That is not what I am saying Sophie…I just…well if it comes down to it then rather me than any one of you." Nate said softly averting his eyes from her intense gaze. "Besides…this is my fight, Burns was after me not you guys. I had not right to place you in danger to protect myself from him." Nate said suddenly regaining his confidence and taking his stance once more.

"Like I said before Nate…we either have each other's backs or we don't. You have to let us have your back Nate..." Parker chimed in. She was getting very frustrated with this whole thing. "You keep telling us to come to you, to let you help us in everything. And you do. You keep taking the fall for us and you always come through for us. But you are not willing to accept our help. Why Nate…aren't we a family like you said? Why can't we help you, why won't you let us help you?"

"Parker it is my JOB to keep you all safe. You TRUST me to keep you safe, to come up with the plans to keep you safe. Well that is what I did…it was the only plan open to me so I used it."

"That's right we do. And you always come through, but Nate, sometimes you have to TRUST US to keep you safe. What you did man…that was not right. You can't keep doing crazy things that could get you killed and expect us to be alright with that." Hardison said. "And you know I'm getting quite tired of having his conversation with you. Parker is right, either we have each other's backs or we don't, 'cause man, I can't keep doing this. So you gotta decide man, either we are a family or we aren't. You can't keep conning us, keeping secrets, planning to sacrifice yourself for us all the time, and don't tell me you don't. How many of your backup plans involve you taking the fall, or worse, for us if things go wrong? How many Nate, I can't do it no more man…I ain't speaking for the rest, but if you ain't going to trust us to have your back, if you ain't going to trust us to get through everything together as a team, as a family…then…then I don't know man." Hardison said his eyes boring into the Mastermind with an intensity that cut right through Nate.

The other three stared at the Hacker. Then they all turned their eyes to Nate waiting for the Mastermind to answer.

"I said it once before and I'll say it again Hardison. You asked me to take this job, you asked me to run this crew. Well that's what I do, and I will always do what is necessary to…to make sure that we get through safely on the other side. I will do whatever it takes to ensure that. If you can't handle that then...then walk away." Nate said his calm voice belaying his internal turmoil.

"I have no problem with that Nate…I have a problem with that 'we' you are talking about not including you." Hardison said slightly taken aback that Nate would even consider letting this team, this family split apart, even though it was what he had intimated in his speech, he did not mean it, he just wanted Nate to realize that…Oh hell Hardison thought to himself, why was the man such a stubborn insufferable bastard.

"That is what you want isn't Nate…you want us to walk away. To leave you…you want that because you what…because you don't deserve a family who lo…cares for you enough to not want to see you hurt or dead. You see us as your family, but you don't realize, or you don't want to realize that YOU are OUR family too. You know that any one of us would take a bullet for you…and that scares the hell out of you. Well you ain't getting away with that Nate…you are stuck with us, no matter what you say to push us to leave. No matter how drunk you get, no matter what you say or do to piss us off. But I will tell you this…you will NEVER pull a stunt like that again. Not ever again Nate…the next time you die, you better really be dead because so help me if you aren't…I'll kill you myself." Eliot said seeing right through Nate and making his stand in response.

"What he said man…" Hardison said staring Nate down. Parker just nodded her agreement with both Eliot and Hardison also locking her eyes onto Nate.

Sophie was also watching Nate carefully. Eliot, she knew, had hit the nail on the head. Nate did not feel worthy of a family. He felt he did not deserve the love and care they were all willing to give him. It was why he always kept that little bit of distance between himself and the rest of them. He knew what he meant to them, he just did not want to admit it. No, more than that he did not want to allow it. That was why he pushed them, why every time they seemed to get closer he would do something that would drive them away, make them angry with him, why he kept himself isolated. Even in their relationship, he always kept that distance. They had been intimate for two years now and although Sophie knew Nate loved her, she had no doubt about it, she also knew he would never say it, never admit it. He was convinced he did not deserve her love, their love. They stayed though, each one of them stayed, not because they had to, because they wanted to. This little misfit band of loners whom Nate had forged into a family would never leave him and he knew that and it scared the hell out of him. It scared him to think that they would, each of them be willing to sacrifice themselves to secure his safety. This thing with Burns had brought everything to the fore. He had seen to what lengths they would go to protect him. Then he had taken measures to make sure they couldn't.

"We are not going anywhere Nate…none of us. If YOU want to walk away then walk away…" Sophie said her heart clenching at the very thought that he would. "But we are not leaving…I am not leaving." Throwing the ball firmly into the Masterminds court.

Nate said nothing. Emotional confrontation had never been his strong point. How did he respond to them? Everything they had said was true; he could admit that to himself but not to them. He closed his eyes momentarily trying to shut them out. He could not deal with this. Suddenly he felt old, old and tired and worn out. The last two weeks had taken a lot out of him, almost more than he had to offer. He knew it was not over yet either. He still had to face Maggie, and it was guaranteed she was not going to take his deceit very well. Then there was still the matter of Burns. Nate was sure he was dead but without a body there was still doubt. Not forgetting Olivia and telling her about her father and the fact that he had faked his death as well. He was sure she was not going to take that very well either. All Nate wanted to do was keep his eyes closed and drift into blissful sleep. But he could still feel their eyes upon him and the silence was heavy, almost suffocating as they waited for him to respond to them.

Eliot stepped forward moving to the man's side. He could see that Nate had visibly paled during this little confrontation and he doubted the man had the energy to take much more. He touched Nate's arm causing him to open his eyes and look at him.

"Nate, this ain't over by a long shot. Just think about what we said because we are going to finish this conversation." Eliot said then turned away and indicated to the two youngest members of the team it was time to leave the man alone. The three of them left the room leaving Nate and Sophie alone.

"Just rest now Nate, you've been through a lot…we all have. But Eliot is right, you have some thinking to do and we need to finish this conversation." She said leaning down and kissed him gently on the lips before turning and leaving the Mastermind to stare at her retreating figure.

**Thank you again for the reviews. I look forward to your comments and thoughts on this chapter. Do you think Burns is gone for good? How do you think Maggie is going to handle Nate's deception? What will Nate's response to the team be? All reviews gratefully accepted.**


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Nate watched Sophie leave and although he knew they were right, knew what they had said was right; he still fought the emotions that welled up inside him. They had a right to be angry but damn it he had done what was necessary and he would do it again in the same situation. He sighed heavily and closed his eyes, he needed a drink he thought, but if he went out there now to get himself one, he would walk into a maelstrom he was not ready to face just yet.

The four of them walked out and into the living area of the safe house. They were exhausted, mentally and physically. The emotions of the last few days had taken their toll on all of them. Losing Nate in the way they had, then discovering he was not dead but just play acting was enough to drain anybody emotionally but then, add to that watching him nearly kill himself again. None of them could take much more of it.

"Do you think he understands now? Do you think we got through that thick skull of his?" Sophie asked.

"I don't know Sophie. He is convinced he did the right thing. I think he heard us but…well it's Nate." Eliot said looking as exhausted as he felt.

"Nate heard you…?" A voice interrupted them. They all looked up to see Maggie standing in the doorway. None of them had heard her come in. "Nate HEARD you…?" Maggie asked again, she had known something was happening when they had left the funeral, but she had thought it had something to do with the man who had been hunting them. Now either they were having a communal hallucination or…

"Maggie…" Sophie said startled by the woman's arrival.

"He's alive….he's alive isn't he? That bloody bastard." Maggie asked then looked around the room. "Where is he?" Not seeing him she assumed he would be in his room and headed in that direction.

The four team members watched her leave and Eliot shook his head solemnly. "I'm glad I'm not Nate right now." He said as Maggie entered Nate's room and slammed the door shut.

Nate was shocked out of the light sleep he had fallen into with the slamming of the door. He opened his eyes and turned toward the sound of the noise. What he saw made his stomach turn. Maggie stood in front of the closed door. He took in her demeanor and knew that he was in for trouble.

"Maggie…I can explain." He said as he pushed himself up in the bed. She moved towards him and then before he knew what was happening he felt the sting of her hand on his face as she slapped him.

"You can explain…you can explain…ok Nate, explain." She said her voice cold with anger.

"Mags…it was the only way to make sure he did not come after the team or you." Nate said as if that was reason enough to do what he had done.

"Oh…I get it you were worried about the TEAM…I see." Maggie said sarcastically. "Really Nate…? Well let me just tell you that what you did to them was worse than what that maniac could have done." Maggie told him her voice dripping with venom.

"What are you talking about Maggie…he would have killed them."

"Well as you know Nate there are worse things than death…aren't there?"

"Maggie…I did what needed to be done." Nate said emphatically not liking her tone of voice. "I am sorry for the distress…"

"Distress…DISTRESS…God Nate you really don't know what you did do you, you really can't see what kind emotional damage you did to those four people out there." Maggie said to him her voice softening a bit. "You just can't see past your own feelings, your own fears…"

"Maggie…they'll get over it, at least they are alive to get over it." Nate said tiredly, he was through defending his actions, he had done what needed to be done and that was the end of it.

"Really…well Nate tell me this…did you get over Sam…Will you ever…?"

"That's not fair Maggie, it's not the same."

"Isn't it…you really don't see it as the same do you…well let me clue you in Nate… " Maggie said taking a seat beside his bed.

"Parker, Hardison and Eliot tried to save you. They did CPR for fifteen minutes. Even when Jules told them you were gone, Parker would not give up. Then they had to admit you were gone. The life went out in their eye in that minute when they had to admit they could not save you. All that remained was hate, hate and determination to revenge you. All three of them, for two days, hardly spoke, hardly slept, they spent their time going through those damn files lying spread out trying to figure out who it was that had done this to you. Their lives consumed by revenge, consumed by guilt for not having been able to save you." Maggie stopped briefly to let Nate take in what she was saying. "Then Sophie…" Nate looked up and into Maggie's eyes. She could see he did not want to hear this. "She became you. She closed herself off from everybody. She was hostile when they came near her. She spent her days here, in this room curled up on that bed clinging to the scent of you. She spent her days drinking your whiskey and crying herself into drink induced sleep. She died when you did…or when she thought you did."

"I…I had to protect them…I had to." Nate muttered his eyes filling with tears that threatened to fall as Maggie spelt out to him the emotional hurt he had inflicted upon the very people he was trying to save. "He would have killed them."

"Maybe…maybe not, but you did. You killed them emotionally if not physically." Maggie drove her point home. "Were you at the funeral…didn't you hear their pain?"

"I didn't have a choice Maggie." Nate said his voice full of emotion as he tried to justify to his actions to her if not to himself.

"You keep telling yourself that. You had a choice. If that was the plan why didn't you tell them, at least Sophie…God Nate that woman loves you, probably more than I ever did…" Maggie said honestly.

"I…" Nate swallowed hard trying to hold back the emotion that threatened to overwhelm him. "I thought…"

"No Nate you did not think, you did not even consider what this would do to them. Not to mention to me…God Nate, I thought you were DEAD…I…I…" Maggie drew in a deep breath as the tears spilled from her eyes and she wiped them away quickly.

"I'm sorry Maggie…I am so sorry…" Nate told his ex-wife.

"It's not me you have to apologize to Nate…the people you need to make this right with are out there, they are out there worrying about you, even after everything you did…" Maggie stood up and shook her head sadly. "Maybe you do not deserve them...God only knows why they stick by you, but they do…You think about that Nate and then you decide what to do after this." She said before leaving the room and closing the door behind her leaving Nate alone with his thoughts.

Maggie walked out the room and closed the door. Four eyes were on her the minute she entered the room. She walked up to Sophie and gave the woman a hug pulling her close and whispering something in her ear. Then pulling away from her she picked up her bag and left, only to be ushered back into the room with a gun pointed at her.

"If you move a muscle Mr. Spencer I assure you that the Ex Mrs. Ford will die. I must say I am a little disappointed by your lack of security…But then I suppose you thought I was dead?" The man holding the gun said looking at the Hitter.

"Mr. Burns I presume…" Eliot said softly as he quickly went through his options. They were very limited. Burns held Maggie directly in front of him the gun planted into her back. He did not try to hold her but had used her body to shield himself from the team. To get to him he would have to go through Maggie and he knew that Burns was right; he would not be able to prevent him from shooting her before he could take him out. Eliot cursed himself silently. How could he have been so negligent allowing his guard to go down with regard to security…this was his fault. He should have known better than to assume the man was dead and that he would not be coming after Nate again.

Burns did not bother to answer Eliot as he moved deeper into the room pushing Maggie in front of him. Eliot watched his every move and noticed that he was limping slightly. He also held his left arm close to his body. Obviously the man was injured.

"It was not very nice of you to leave me out there to die…but I forgive you, you had other things on your mind. Luckily for me another boat came by and picked me up. They were kind enough to patch me up and drop me off here." Burns told the group as he indicated to them to move around the room and into the little office Nate had been using. "Now if you will excuse me I have some pressing business with Nathan Ford." He said pushing Maggie into the arms of Eliot and quickly closing the door and locking it. Then he took a chair from the kitchen and placed it in front of the door wedging it underneath the handle.

Parker moved quickly to the door and unlocked it but was unable to open it. Eliot moved her out of the way and threw himself at the door but to no avail.

"Damn it…Hardison is there another way out of this room?" He asked desperately as he threw his eyes around the room looking for something, anything that could indicate a way out.

"No…only the door." Hardison said.

"Then get out of the way Hardison…" Eliot said as he again threw himself at the door.

**Burns is back…the team are confined to the office, Nate is alone…this cannot be good. KendraBC I hope you enjoyed Nate hearing from Maggie what Sophie was like when she thought he was dead. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and thank you for all your reviews. I look forward to hearing what you thought about this one…I really am inspired to continue the story by all of your reviews, thank you all so much, they are all appreciated.**


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Burns heard Eliot smash against the door and saw it take some strain along with the chair he had put there. He did not have that much time he decided, Eliot would be through the door soon. He moved to the closed door of the room he thought Nate was in and drawing a deep breath he quickly opened the door and entered gun at the ready. He stopped in the doorway and looked at the empty bed. His eyebrows knitted into a frown and then he moved quickly to the bathroom but that too was empty. Turning around he wondered if he was perhaps in the wrong room. He was sure that Nate was here, it was just a matter of finding him. He moved quietly out of the room to be faced with Nate, and the rest of his team spread out behind him. Eliot had assumed his position beside Nate ready to strike.

"Burns…" Nate greeted the man as he came to a sudden halt on seeing them.

"Ford…" Burns replied looking at Nate and the rest of his team.

"So I see you survived the little explosion…pity." Nate said softly.

"We both seem to be quite good at evading death, I agree." Burns replied not even bothering to raise the gun. He might get off a shot, and it might hit Nate but he was sure Eliot was ready and he was close enough to take him out before he even lifted the gun up.

"Given up on protecting the team I see…" Burns smiled at Nate.

"They don't need protecting from you. Besides you are the one who involved them, now you have to deal with that." Nate replied surprising Burns and the team. A small smile twitched at Eliot's lips at his words…maybe they had got through to him after all he thought briefly.

"You think so…well perhaps you have forgotten who you are dealing with Ford. Do you think I came here only with a gun?" Burns said softly. "I don't kill with guns Ford, you should know that."

Nate looked at the man and knew they were in trouble. It was true, Burns did not kill with a gun, he killed with chemicals, poison, that was his specialty. He remained silent waiting for Burns to give him an indication of what the man had in mind. He knew Eliot could take the man down, without much effort, but he held a hand out to stop him from making a move after Burns' words. He needed to know what Burns was thinking, what he was planning. If he had some form of poison on him or worse some sort of poison gas, well that was going to prove difficult. His thoughts turned immediately to his team. He was prepared to die; he was still not prepared to let them, no matter what they had said.

"What did you have in mind Burns." Nate asked his voice tight and hard.

"Oh you know...I like to carry a little insurance with me everywhere I go." Burns said taking his hand out of his jacket pocket and holding up a vile of liquid. "This hits the ground Ford and we are all dead." He turned his attention then to the Hitter who stood beside Nate. "Mr. Spencer, I am sure you could get to me in a flash, and you could probably take me out just as quickly, but I do assure you that I will drop this vile before you can stop me and the gas that will be release will kill not only you but your friends. I suggest Mr. Spencer you do trust me on this." Burns told the Hitter. Eliot's jaw clenched at the words knowing that Burns was right. He kept still and waited for Nate to make the next move.

"I did not know you were suicidal Burns…but I guess like father like son." Nate said knowing he was playing with fire but seeing no other way. He needed Burns to focus his attention on him.

"Interesting analogy Ford…your father sacrificed himself for you didn't he? You were willing to sacrifice yourself for your team, and I am guessing you still are, but as you said like father like son." Burns replied.

He could feel their eyes on his back as Burns spoke the words. He heard Eliot's soft growl of anger beside him. Burns was right though, he was willing to then, and he was willing to now.

"What do you have in mind?" Nate asked ignoring Sophie's sharp intake of breath at his answer.

"You and I leave here now, alone, and we settle this just between us. I promise not to harm your team. They promise not to follow us." Burns said a smile playing on his face. He was enjoying this game. He was enjoying the look on Nate's face, the conflict he saw there. He enjoyed the anger and fear on the faces of the people around him. "After all Ford, you said it yourself on the boat, neither one of us is going to walk away from this one."

The silence that followed his words was deafening. The team and Maggie held their breaths waiting for what Nate would do next. The last words Burns had spoken playing through their minds. They all understood the implications of them. Nate cursed the man silently. He was putting him in a situation he was not sure how to get out of. He could feel the weight of his teams' eyes on him. The poison changed the game, Eliot could take the man out, if it was just the gun, or a knife of something there would be no problem, but this was different. He needed to get Burns away from the team with that vial.

Eliot kept his eyes focused on Burns. Not for the first time he cursed himself for a fool for his lapse in security that had allowed this situation to develop. He knew what Nate was going to do. He knew Nate would never allow the team to remain in this kind of mortal danger, no matter what they had said to him today, no matter how much he wanted to honor their wishes, when it came down to it, Nate would never let them fall, not if he could help it anyway. Eliot was desperate to find a solution to the problem without that solution entailing Nate once again putting himself in a situation where his death was almost guaranteed.

Parker stood like a statue. She contemplated all her options. She could move quickly and skillfully and be at the side of Burns in seconds. But, not fast enough to stop him from dropping that vial, he probably did not have to drop it just crush it and she was not that fast. She moved unnoticed almost to Eliot's side, willing to give it a go. Nate was willing to die for her, for them, well she was willing to do the same for him. She hoped Nate would not do what she knew he was going to, he was going to go along with Burns and they were going to have to watch as he walked away from them to face…possibly his own death, again. Her expression now was clear of emotion though, she was ready for whatever happened.

Hardison stood behind Parker and noticed how she moved clear of the rest to stand beside Eliot. His stomach churned with fear knowing she was preparing to assault Burns. Hardison was afraid, afraid for what Parker and Eliot would be willing to do to protect Nate. Afraid for what Nate would do to try to protect all of them. He could do nothing but watch on and be ready for anything. His mind raced through what he knew of poisons, specifically poison gases in a vague hope that he would be able to do something to help if the worst happened. There were very few that were in liquid form before becoming gaseous, but all of them were deadly and once that vial burst it would, as Burns had said, kill them all. Hardison sighed. Well if he was going to die, then at least it would be with his family trying to save a man worth saving.

Sophie stood behind Nate. She knew without a doubt that Nate would take Burns up on his offer as soon as he made it. One thing she knew about Nate was that he would do anything to protect his family, to protect her, and as much as she hated him for that, she loved him for it too. Yes they were angry with Nate for doing what he had done, but the fact was he had done it to protect them. SHE had been angry with him, not for doing what he had done, but for not including them in his plans, for allowing them to believe he was dead. She moved her eyes to focus on Burns. She hated the man more than she had hated anybody in her life. She watched as Parker moved her position, she saw how Eliot tensed up. They would try to take Burns, even with the vial being in play. They were prepared to take the chance of tackling the man. If they did make a move, she was sure they would all be dead, but she was willing to die trying to protect Nate, as they all were.

Maggie stood at the back of the group. Despite the situation she smiled slightly to herself. These four people, all of whom had been loners, all of them only concerned with themselves before Nate entered their lives. Nate himself had been a loner. Although he had been a good husband, he was intrinsically a man who kept himself aloof from others. How these five had come together she was still not sure, but they had formed a family with tighter bonds than any with actual blood ties. Nate had changed them, and they had changed Nate. As much as Nate was the glue that held them together, they were the glue that held him together. She smiled to herself then, almost bursting out in laughter at the irony of the situation she found herself in. Here she was faced with her own possible death and all she was doing was analyzing Nate and his team and their relationship. Perhaps she knew it was because Nate was not going allow this mad man to kill any of them. He would take Burns up on his offer and leave here with him and the vial. The only question was if the team would let him do that.

"So Ford…do I drop the vial, or do we walk out of here?" Burns said breaking the silence and drawing all their attention to him again.

"What assurances to I have Burns that you will keep your word. That you will leave my team alone…?" Nate asked.

"You don't. I do not however see that you have a choice. I can see your Hitter there and your Thief ready to pounce. It is impressive Ford that these people, these criminals would be willing to sacrifice themselves for you. Their determination to keep you alive and well is quite surprising…Now Ford what is your decision?"

Nate kept his eyes locked on Burns for a minute then turned to face his team. "I have to do this guys…I am sorry but he is leaving me no choice. Eliot, tell Jules that I know the effort he went through to help me and that I thank him for that, tell him that his efforts with Sterling were appreciated." Nate said to his Hitter. "I'm sorry guys…" He said before turning back to face Burns. "Shall we…?"

"They move back, into that room and then we leave. No tricks Ford or I will drop this vial." Burns said.

"Guys…get into the room." Nate instructed without turning to look at them. "Please guys…" He added when none of them made a move. Eliot stared at the Mastermind for a second then turned putting his hand behind Parkers back and ushering her along. They moved slowly and reluctantly into the little office.

"Do close the door Mr. Spencer… we shall be gone in a few minutes. Please do not think you can follow us, if you do you know what will happen." Burns said holding up the vial at them to convey his message.

Nate turned and looked into his Hitters eyes. Eliot nodded imperceptibly then closed the door. Nate stared at the closed door for a few seconds before Burns told him to move to the exit. Nate closed his eyes briefly and blew out the breath he had been holding, then turning he walked out of the building with Burns following.

**The tension builds again. Do you think the team will be able to follow Nate and Burns and intervene to save Nate? Do you think Nate has a plan? Thank you all so very, very much for all of the reviews. Thank you to KendraBC, Stella, Kd, Sphinx, leveragus, Kelly and Carebear818, as well as everybody else who has taken the time and effort to review. Please let me know what you think of this chapter, I look forward to reading all your thoughts, comments and speculation…**


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

Eliot closed the door and immediately turned to Hardison.

"I think he has an earbud on him Hardison…see if you can get a signal." Eliot barked to the Hacker as he took out his phone and dialed Jules' number.

Hardison did not bother to ask how Eliot knew Nate had an earbud in his possession. He opened his computer and locked on to the only earbud that was moving.

"Jules…It's Eliot…"

"Eliot is Nate ok?" Jules responded immediately assuming by the tone of Eliot's voice that this call had something to do with the Mastermind.

"No…what did you do with Sterling…I mean what did Nate have you do?" Eliot asked.

"We had to get him away, I gave him the same drug I gave Nate to induce heart seizure." Jules explained without hesitation, something was seriously wrong.

"No it can't be that…How did you know what antidote to use on Sterling? " Eliot asked.

"Nate told me the time period to look in, based on his speculation on what happened to Burns after he was taken away by what he supposed was the CIA. I tested for all the compounds and found one." Jules said waiting to hear what this all about.

"Ok…Ok…Jules check those again, are there any in that time period that were produced or…or made in that period that are liquids that turn gaseous after being exposed to air?" Eliot asked urgently.

"Ok…but it's going to take a little time." Jules said. "Eliot…what's going on?"

"No time for that Jules, just get the likely antidotes for that and any other poisons you might think this guy Burns might use and let me know when you do. I'll fill you in then and tell you where to go." Eliot told his friend. "Jules, make it quick…"

"Right…" Jules said then the phone went dead as Eliot hung up.

"Are you going to tell us what the hell is going on Eliot?" Sophie asked the giving words the question on all their minds.

"I'll tell you on the way." Eliot told her fitting on his brace of knives. "Hardison, the signal…?"

"Got it, they are headed out of town."

"Ok…I'll drive let's go." Eliot said grabbing the keys and headed for the door followed by the rest.

"_So where are we going…?" Nate asked as Burns indicated he should get into the driver's seat._

"_Oh a place we both know…We are going to end this where it started." Burns said getting in the passenger's seat and keeping the gun trained on Nate._

_Nate started the car and drove in the direction indicated by Burns. He knew where they were going. Burns was taken him back to the beginning, to the place where all of this had started seventeen years ago. As he drove neither of them spoke and Nate's thoughts drifted to the team. He was sure Eliot had understood his meaning when he spoke of Jules. He had slipped an earbud into his pocket before slipping out to release the team from the little office. They would be able to track him with its GPS. Now all he could do is go with Burns and try to stall until the team got to him._

"Eliot…" Sophie asked as they sped away.

"That little speech about Jules, it could only have meant one thing, contact him. I assumed Nate had some way for us to track him too, turns out he did, the earbud. Now you know as much as I do Sophie." Eliot said as he raced toward the Mastermind's signal. "Hardison…"

"Yeah man just keep going straight man, they are headed straight out of town. I'm checking the area they are traveling to for any links…hey, hey man, I got it." Hardison said jubilantly then continued. "There is a house out here that was owned by one John Burns…father of Jason Burns. That must be where they are headed."

"Great, get Jules on the line and tell him the address and tell him to get over there as soon as possible." Eliot said.

"_Do you recognize it Ford?" Burns said as he told Nate to park the car in the driveway._

"_Your father's house..." Nate said taking in the run down building his mind traveling back in time seventeen years ago. "You kept it?" _

"_Of course I kept it…it was part of the deal I cut. Fitting that you will meet your end here don't you think?" Burns said motioning to Nate to exit the vehicle._

_The two men climbed out of the car and stood before the house. "Let's go Ford." Burns said ushering Nate into the house. "You know where to go don't you?" Burns laughed softly. _

_Nate looked at Burns then headed down to the basement, to Burns' torture chamber from all those years ago. Nate noticed that the place was clean and well cared for unlike the rest of the dilapidated house. The lab was fully functioning. In the middle of the room was the chair that Burns had restrained his victims in when he administered the poisons to them. This was his little house of horrors and Nate was about to experience his love of inflicting pain first hand._

"_Take a seat Ford." Burns said pushing Nate towards the chair. Nate stumbled forward and into the chair. "Now Ford arms on the arm rests…" Nate obliged and before he could do anything two metal bars locked over his arms down to his wrists. "No escape I am afraid to say Ford, this is the end of the road for you." Burns said turning towards the work table at the back of the room and putting the gun down._

_Nate watched as Burns set to work. He tested the restraints and realized that he was secure; there was no way he could get out of them. _

"_So Burns, you never did answer me on the boat. Why wait seventeen years?" Nate said genuinely interested and needing to get Burns talking, he needed to buy the team some time to get to him._

"_I was busy." Burns answered over his shoulder. Nate could see he was busy preparing some kind of solution and knew it was meant for him._

"_So you said." Nate said casually. "Care to elaborate…I'm just curious." _

"_Ok...I will oblige your curiosity. Well let's see." Burns said turning to face Nate. "They... and you know who they are…They kept me very busy and very confined during those first years. They needed me, wanted my knowledge, in exchange for that I got to live, amongst other things." Burns said. "Then when I was in a position to act…well it was pretty pointless."_

"_Pointless…?" Nate repeated his brows knotting into a frown._

"_Yes, pointless. I realized that even if I did go after you, no matter how much pain I inflicted on you it would be pointless." Burns said then smiled at him. "You probably would have invited me in and thanked me for killing you, for punishing you. I was not going to give you that." Burns explained. "So I decided to wait and watch. Actually I thought you would kill yourself at one stage, you had the weapon and you did come close didn't you?" Burns said raising his eyebrows to emphasize the question. "It would have been poetic justice if you had blown your own brains out but you didn't. I was actually a little disappointed that you never did I can tell you."_

"_Sorry to disappoint." Nate replied nonchalantly. _

"_Oh well, then you became worth my interest again a few years ago, and now here we are." Burns told him then turned back to his workstation. Silence settled between then as Burns continued to prepare his potion. Then turning back to Nate he looked at him with such a look of evil in his eyes that Nate actually cringed._

"_Now Ford this…" Burns held up the syringe he had filled with fluid. "This is a concoction I made with you in mind." He smiled at Nate and looked lovingly at his poison. "The pain it causes is quite exquisite." He said stepping towards Nate._

"Turn up here Eliot…yeah, there's Burns' car." Hardison said as they pulled into the driveway of the old house. "Jules will be here soon, he said he was on his way." Hardison shouted as they all piled out of the car and raced to the door of the house. Eliot brought them to a halt at the door. Parker quickly opened it and Eliot moved in. The hallway was deserted, the house silent.

"You three…" He indicated Sophie, Hardison and Maggie. "You head upstairs. Parker and I will take down here. Be careful guys and if you spot them, call." Eliot said. The three nodded and headed off up the stairs. Parker and Eliot started checking the downstairs rooms.

"Eliot…Basement." Parker said as she opened the door quietly and saw the stairs headed down. Eliot nodded and they descended the stairs quietly and carefully. When they reached the bottom they came to a heavy metal door that was closed and locked.

"They are in there I am sure." Parker said.

Eliot nodded his agreement, but was not sure what to do. They could hear nothing from behind the door and it was not going to be easy to open. He did not want to spook Barns into acting before they could get to him. "Parker…?" He asked looking at the Thief then at the door.

Parker nodded and se to work on the door. A few minutes later Sophie and the others had joined them having completed the sweep of the upstairs area and finding nothing. "Done…" Parker said stepping back to make room for Eliot.

Eliot indicated that they should stay back then lifted his foot and kicked the door open and rushed into the room. What he saw made his movements more urgent. Nate was restrained in a chair in the middle of the room with Burns bent over him. The man was busy injecting Nate with some form of substance. Fear gripped Eliot and he moved with the speed of desperation grabbing the man and throwing him into his workbench and away from Nate. He glanced momentarily at the Mastermind and then concentrated on Burns who was going for another vial of liquid. Before he could get to it however Eliot buried one of his knives to the hilt in his chest.

Burns looked down at the knife then into the eyes of the Hitter. "You… are… too… late…" He said haltingly then crumbled to the floor dead.

**Well Burns is dead but what about Nate. Are they too late? Did Burns manage to inject Nate with the poison? If so will Jules arrive in time and will he have the right antidote? Sorry for the cliffhanger, but I won't let you hang too long I promise. Thank you all for your reviews and I look forward to reading what you think of this chapter too. Please keep them coming…**


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Eliot turned from Burns' lifeless body back to Nate. Parker was in the process of freeing the Mastermind from his restraints as Sophie pulled the needle out of his arm. Maggie and Hardison stood behind them watching their eyes fixed on Nate who was now in obvious pain.

"Took…you guys…long enough..." Nate said through gritted teeth.

"Jules is on his way Nate. He'll be here soon with the antidote." Sophie told him ignoring his statement.

Nate looked up into Sophie's eyes and smiled through the pain nodding a response. He knew the chances of Jules having brought the correct one with him was slim to say the least, but he had to hope. Then he shut his eyes tight against another wave of pain that surged through his body. It felt to him as if he was burning up from the inside out. His head was pounding and his muscles were in spasm. It was all he could do to keep himself from screaming in agony as another wave of pain washed over him. He balled his fists tightly until his knuckles turned white and clenched his jaws shut determined not to give into the pain. His shirt was now drenched with sweat and his breathing was becoming increasingly laboured. Parker eventually got the restraints off and between Maggie and Sophie they managed to get Nate out of the chair and onto the floor. Hardison removed his jacket offering it to Sophie as a pillow for Nate. The Hacker looked up with wide eyes at Eliot.

"I'll go wait for Jules…" He told the Hitter and then was gone up the stairs.

Nate was now curled up into himself, his hair was matted with perspiration, his eyes squeezed shut against the pain. Although he tried desperately he could not prevent the low groans and strangled screams to escape from him as the poison coursed through his system. All Eliot, Sophie, Maggie and Parker could do was watched as the Nate writhed in pain before them, watch and pray that Jules arrived soon.

An agonizing ten minutes later Jules entered the room followed by Hardison. By now Nate's body was racked by tremors and muscle spasms causing him to curl up into a fetal position. He cried out in pain unable to control himself any longer. Sophie knelt by his side trying to sooth him, whispering to him that Jules would be there soon and he would ease his pain. Jules moved into the room and took Sophie's place at Nate's side. He could see the man was in extreme pain. He leaned into the Mastermind and took his hand.

"Nate…Nate…did he tell you what poison? Did he give a name?" Jules asked the stricken man. Nate opened his eyes and stared into Jules' then with tremendous effort he shook his head before being consumed by another wave of pain his cries of agony cutting right through his team.

"Just give him the damn antidote…" Hardison said his voice full of angst.

"I can't just give him the damn antidote Hardison, not until I have an idea of what the poison was. If I use one that doesn't belong it could kill him." Jules said. "Do you have the syringe he used?" Jules asked Eliot. He had noticed when he had entered that this was a working lab, probably the very lab Burns had used to create whatever concoction he had given Nate, all he had to do was find the right one and determine which antidote he should use. After Eliot's message he had literally raided his lab and some of his colleagues' labs for any and all he could find to poisons and poison gasses.

Sophie looked up at Jules's question and nodded then quickly made her way over to where she had thrown it after removing it from Nate's arm. She gave it to Jules then took her place back at Nate's side. Nate's screams were now louder and one scream seemed to blend into another. The rest of the group could do nothing but stand by and watch as Nate suffered untold tortures as the poison did its work.

"Jules please hurry…" Sophie begged the doctor as Nate started having a seizure his body jerking and writhing on the floor. Again Nate screamed out as the agony the poison was causing overwhelmed him.

Jules finished what he was doing. He thought he had identified the poison and was almost ready to administer the antidote. "Eliot, I need you to keep him still…this needs to go in intravenously." Jules instructed his friend.

Eliot wasted no time, he grabbed one of Nate's arms pulling it away from his body and at the same time instructed Parker and Hardison to grab his legs and Sophie and Maggie to hold his other arm and upper body as still as possible. Nate was now again experiencing a seizure and their tasks were far from easy. Eventually he was still enough and Jules quickly administered the drug directly into Nate's vein. Pulling the needle out he watched Nate's reaction. He was pretty sure he had the right antidote, but he could be wrong, and in that case, things were going to get ugly. Nate still thrashed wildly as the seizure continued, Jules motioned to the others to release him. Then the spasm seemed to subside somewhat then his body went limp and all movement stopped along with the screams and moaning. Jules moved to his side quickly. He felt for a pulse and was more than relieved to find one, it was slow but it was steady. Nate's breathing too was ragged and slow but he was breathing. Jules let out a sigh of relief before turning to Eliot.

"We need to get him to a hospital now. I don't know what damage this drug caused…I need to be able to run tests." Jules said.

Eliot looked at Jules then nodded and lifted the Mastermind's limp body easily into his arms. "Let's go." He said and turned carrying Nate up the stairs and out the house, followed by the rest.

Eliot, Sophie and Jules travelled with Nate in Jules' car followed by Parker and the others. They raced toward the hospital that Jules worked out of. Luckily it did not happen to be that far away and Jules thought it would be best if they went there so that he could work on Nate himself. Through the trip he kept monitoring Nate's vital signs. His breathing was becoming more irregular and ragged and his heart rate had dropped alarmingly low. He said nothing though and just kept monitoring until they reached the hospital's emergency entrance. Brining the car to a screeching halt Eliot was out in a flash and grabbed a gurney which he brought to the passenger side Nate was on. He lifted him out of the car and lay his almost lifeless body on the gurney. Jules called out instructions to the nurses and another doctor that had rushed out to assist. Running through the emergency room they wheeled Nate into one of the trauma rooms. Sophie and Eliot ran behind the gurney the whole way until a nurse stopped them and told them they would have to wait outside. She assured them that Dr. Stern would be out to speak with them as soon as he could. Parker, Hardison and Maggie arrived in the waiting area a few minutes later to find them just staring at the door behind which they had taken Nate.

Eliot stood beside Sophie and instinctively took the woman's hand in his. Sophie turned to look at the Hitter her eyes swimming in tears.

"I don't think he can take much more…I…Eliot…" Sophie said softly.

"He's Nate…he'll come through this." Eliot said simply brining a sad smile to Sophie's face. They had such trust in Nate… such belief that he could do anything, beat anything.

"Yes…yes he is, but he is not indestructible Eliot…he's not indestructible." She said sadly.

Eliot looked at her then back to the door. He sighed deeply, had Burns been right, had they been too late.

**Sorry a bit of a short chapter. Hope you enjoyed it anyway…please let me know what you thought. I greatly accept all comments, thoughts and speculation on what could happen…**


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

It had been an hour since they had brought Nate into the hospital and still no news had been forthcoming. The tension in the waiting room was getting thicker by the minute. Nobody spoke, each one too consumed with their worry for and about Nate. Sophie kept staring at the door hoping that it would open, pleading with it to open. Maggie sat beside her, holding her hand in comfort for both of them. Parker and Hardison sat to one side, Parker leaning into Hardison who was absentmindedly stroking her hair with his one hand. Eliot paced.

Finally the door opened and Jules walked out. All five of them stood and almost stormed the doctor desperate for answers. Jules smiled at them, seeing the angst on all their faces.

"He's ok…" Jules immediately said in order to allay their fears. "He is weak and still in some pain, but he will be fine."

"Oh thank God." Sophie said then looked at Jules earnestly. "Can we see him?"

"He is being moved to a private room and the nurse will let us know when has been settle in." Jules told her then motioned to the small room to the side of the waiting area. "Why don't we step in here for a moment…I need to speak to all of you..." Suddenly the angst in their eyes reappeared, something was wrong.

"Jules…?" Sophie asked wide eyed her fear manifesting in her voice.

"I just need to talk to you guys, that's all Sophie…" He smiled at her to try to reassure her. "I promise you Nate is fine, there are just a few things you guys need to know."

"Ok…" Sophie said hesitantly, she still did not like the fact that Jules would not let her see Nate and now he wanted to have a discussion with them. She however proceeded to the room he had indicated. Once they were all inside the little room Jules closed the door and stood before the group.

"Ok…again Nate is fine, he will be fine…"

"But…" Sophie asked softly dreading what was coming.

"But…" Jules took a deep breath after saying the word. "But he is very weak. He is also in a fair amount of pain. I have sedated him for now, to ease the pain and to make sure he gets some rest. If I know anything about the man the moment he opens his eyes he is going to want to get out of here." Jules continued smiling as they all nodded in agreement. "Well I want to keep him here for at least a few days…"

"I…" Maggie started to say but Jules held up his hand.

"But I'll settle for overnight." He said knowing Maggie was going to say something to the effect that that was never going to happen. "Like I said he is extremely weak. The drug Burns used was a bastard. It did some real damage. Not only is it a neurotoxin, affecting the nerves and the muscles; it also has a component that attacks the organs and surrounding tissue, eventually destroying them completely. Add to that the trauma he had already suffered and his alcoholism and we do not get a pretty picture."

"The damage…it's not…permanent is it?" Sophie asked hesitantly.

"No, but it is going to be a long recovery period. We got to him in time and the antitoxin was delivered in time to stop any permanent damage from occurring however…" Jules said the word that caused them all to hold their breaths again afraid for whatever the 'however' meant. "His organs were damaged, they will mend but his heart and liver took quite a beating. His heart was already weak from the drug that I used to…"

"Fake his death…" Eliot supplied.

Jules looked at the man feeling the anger still burning in him for that particular deed. "Yes…" Jules sighed. "His liver, well you all know his drinking habits." Jules continued.

"So what is the bottom line here?" Eliot asked his friend.

"The bottom line Eliot is if Nate does not slow down, take it easy and gets lots of rest he could go into heart failure. His heart is just not strong enough to handle any kind of stress or stringent exercise right now. It needs time to heal itself. The other thing of course is the liver."

"He must stop drinking." Parker said matter-of-factly.

"No Parker." Jules replied causing all of them to look at him in surprise. "No not stop, just tone it down. If he stops he will go into detox and his body will not cope with that, that in itself could kill him. No he just needs to drink enough to hold off the DT's but no more.

"And for how long do you expect us to pull of this miracle…?" Eliot asked his friend in all seriousness.

"At least a few…let's say six to eight weeks. Then he can slowly start getting back to his normal self. Still he should not push himself or over exert himself, or over stress himself for at least four to six months if you want to be safe." Jules said seeing by all their expressions that he had just handed them an almost impossible task.

"What else…" Eliot asked knowing his friend very well and seeing that there was still more in store for them.

"He is going to be in severe pain for the first few days, especially when he walks or does any form of exercise. He is going to experience muscle weakness and perhaps some muscle spasms. I can do nothing for those but I will give you pain medication that you can administer when it gets really bad along with pain pills that he can administer to himself, just make sure he has not had anything to drink when he does. He will probably experience problems and pain with walking for a couple of weeks as well. A loss of balance and clumsiness or difficulty picking up objects might also manifest itself. He might experience trembling or shaking, hearing loss, jaw pain and stomach pain. Now I am not saying he will have all these side effects, it depends on the patient and how they react to the drug and the antitoxin too. He might have breathing problems, again when walking or doing any kind of exercise." Jules told them watching their faces fall as he listed the side effects Nate could possibly experience. "One more thing…because of the pain and the inability to, well help himself as it were, most patients also experience depression, you will have to watch him for that, he just needs to understand that this will all pass, he will recover fully and be back to his old self, it is just going to take time."

The five of them looked at each other, their thoughts almost identical. How in the hell were they going to get Nate to comply to any of the doctors instructions. How was Nate going to cope with needed help to do the basic things, this was a man who never asked for help, not ever.

"Look guys I know from experience how stubborn Nate Ford can be. I also know that he will do anything, and I mean anything for you all. Just try to get him to understand that you need him to do this, you need him to comply, for your sakes as well as his." Jules told them.

They all looked at him with disbelieve at the naivety of his words. They knew Nate would do anything for them, hell he had proven that over the events of the last two weeks, but Jules actually expected them to be able to control Nate and what he did, now that was asking for a miracle.

"I know you will find a way..." Jules said. "Anyway he should be in his room now. Like I said I sedated him so he will probably be out until mid-morning tomorrow. I would suggest you all go home and get some rest yourselves." Jules said then seeing rebellion in Sophie's eyes he quickly added after they had been to see Nate off course.

Sophie thanked Jules on all of their behalves and then followed the doctor out into the passage and to Nate's room. Maggie was the last to enter the room and she stopped dead in her tacks as she looked at the pale form of Nate lying in the hospital bed. Her hand flew to her mouth to stop the sob that threated to burst out of her and she turned as pale as the sick man.

"Maggie are you OK…?" Eliot asked her as he reached out a hand to steady the woman.

"Yes…yes he just…he looks so…like Sam." She said as images of her dead son flashed through her mind. Eliot did not know what to say to that. He merely nodded in understanding and offered her support as she moved to the foot of Nate's bed.

Nate lay in the hospital bed. He did not have any tubes besides the oxygen tube attached to him and the heart monitor fixed to his middle finger. That was a good sign Eliot decided.

Sophie immediately took her place at Nate's side. She gently placed her hand on his forehead. He felt warm to the touch. His hair was matted from dried sweat, his face slack from the sedatives. She could see he was not sleeping peacefully; rather he was unconscious from the drugs.

"He's not in pain is he…?" Parker asked as she stared at the Mastermind her expression full of concern.

"No Parker, they have him sedated, he doesn't feel anything." Eliot replied hoping he was correct in his assumption.

Silence followed Eliot's words. The group stood and just watched Nate's chest rise and fall steadily taking comfort in the regular beeping of the heart monitor at his side.

"Ok guys, I think we should let him sleep and we can come back tomorrow when he is awake." Eliot said.

Parker and Hardison nodded and said their goodbyes to the unconscious man telling him they would be back tomorrow then headed for the door. Maggie took one last glance at her ex-husband and then followed the two out. Sophie bent down and placed a gently kiss on Nate's lips whispering softly to him words Eliot could not make out, before she too headed for the door. Eliot stood at the foot of the bed as she passed.

"I need a minute." He told the Grifter. She nodded and moved out of the room and closed the door giving Eliot the privacy she knew he wanted.

Eliot moved around the bed to stand by Nate's head. He looked down at the Mastermind and lightly touched his hand.

"I know you can't hear me Nate but…but I am sorry. I should have been more vigilant, I should have…I am sorry…I don't have any excuse for what happened." Eliot told the man, he knew that Nate would not want his apologies. He would tell Eliot to forget it before he had even got a word out. But Eliot needed to apologize, he need to get the words out. It was his lapse in security that had led directly to Nate being where he was. "It will never happen again." He said this time his voice hard and determined. He stared at the man for a few more seconds then turned and left the room.

Eliot found the others waiting for him and they all walked out of the hospital together. As they got outside Maggie turned to the group.

"Well, I'm going home. I'll be back in the morning to see him." She stated approaching Sophie and giving her a hug before pulling away and making her way to the nearest waiting cab.

The others watched her go and then headed to their car. They all piled in and Eliot drove them to the safe house. The drive took place in silence each of the four lost in their own thoughts. They arrived at the house and after entering and Eliot making sure that it was securely locked up, they all collapsed onto the couches.

"So…anybody got any idea how we are going to make Nate follow doctor's orders?" Hardison asked verbalizing all their thoughts.

**Poor Nate, he really is having a hard time. But what about the team, do you think they are going to be able to control Nate and make him slow down? Do you think that Nate will be willing to obey the doctor's orders? How do you think Nate will react to the team coddling him? Thanks for the great reviews…I look forward to seeing what you thought about this chapter. **


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

By mid-afternoon the next day Nate was ready to leave the hospital. He had spent more than an hour with Jules during the course of the morning being told what to expect in the aftermath of the previous days' events. Jules had tried to convince the man to stay in the hospital for at least another night so they could monitor him and make sure he was alright but Nate was having none of it. Much to the dismay of his team and the doctor he threatened to sign himself out AMA if Jules did not discharge him. He was still very weak and in a lot of pain but he was adamant he was leaving, claiming he could recuperate much better at home. Eventually it was agreed that Jules would discharge him that afternoon, but he instructed the team that Nate should not fly back to Portland until at least the next day and then it would be best if they arranged a charter flight so that he would be able to lie down and not have to sit cooped up for the length of the flight. He also gave Eliot the name of a friend of his in Portland who would take over Nate's care from him.

There was a little tension when Sterling arrived at the hospital with Olivia. Eliot, as always, was not pleased to see the man but let him into the room anyway.

"Nate…" Sterling said as he stepped into the hospital room.

"Sterling." Nate replied.

"I just wanted to…thank you, for what you did, for me and for Olivia." Sterling said his voice strained. He did not like thanking anybody, least of all Nate Ford.

"Don't mention it." Nate said honestly, he would have done what he did for anybody.

"I won't…but I do owe you." Sterling replied with a smile.

"Again..." Nate smiled back at him.

"Well I'll be going then…take care Nate." Sterling said and turned to leave. But before he could Olivia moved to Nate's bedside.

"I'm sorry...I acted…" She started to say before Nate put his hand on her arm and stopped her.

"You have nothing to be sorry for Olivia. He is your dad and you were scared." Nate said simply. He understood what she had been going through and did not blame her for her reactions.

"Thank you Mr. Ford…for everything." She said leaning down and kissed him on the cheek before turning back to her dad. She smiled at him over her shoulder and then the two of them were gone.

It was five in the afternoon when they eventually arrived back at the safe house. Maggie had taken her leave of them at the hospital telling them to take care of Nate and she would check in with them regularly for updates. Nate had needed some help to get into the place, he was out of breath from the short walk and Sophie could tell that he was in pain although he tried to hide it. She settled Nate down in the living area on one of the couches when he refused to go to the bedroom saying that he was tired of lying down.

"So…when do we go back to Portland?" Nate asked as Eliot delivered some steaming coffee to him with a glass of water and two pain pills.

"I have a charter for tomorrow morning at ten." Hardison told him.

"Good…the sooner we get back the better." Nate replied. He wanted to get back to his place, he needed some peace and quiet without them hover over him trying to help. He also needed to go through all the possible client files that had been put aside when all this started. He was never one to just lie around and do nothing. No, the sooner he got back to work the better it would be, he thought to himself.

"Nate, you are going to take it easy and rest when we get back right?" Sophie asked reading him better than anybody else would ever be able to.

"Yes…yes of course I am." Nate placated her.

"You're lying." Sophie stated. All eyes were now on the Mastermind and the Grifter. The three youngest members of the team sensed a confrontation coming and although they dreaded it, they knew it had to happen.

Nate rolled his eyes at Sophie and picking up the remote turned on the TV flipping through the channels. He did not want to have this conversation now. Actually he did not want to have this conversation at all. But Sophie was having none of it. She moved forward and grabbed the remote out of his hands and switched off the television her anger now evident in her expression.

"Sophie…"

"Don't you 'Sophie' me Nathan Ford. Did you not listen to what Jules said? Or did you just decide that you know better? Now we let you leave the hospital…"

"Let me leave…?" Nate asked sarcastically. He pushed himself up on the couch and immediately winced at the pain it caused. Parker instinctively moved forward to help him but he waved her away. "I'm fine…" The tone of his voice made Parker pull away as if she had been burned.

"That's just it Nate…you are NOT fine." Sophie said. "You are NOT BLOODY FINE Nate." She shouted at him her anger now spilling out.

"Sophie calm down." Nate said his eyes going wide as he saw her explode.

"No…no I won't bloody well calm down Nate." Sophie told him. "Tell me Nate…tell me what you were planning to do when we got back. Tell me Nate. Tell me you were planning to rest, that you were NOT planning to go through possible clients and start planning a new job. Come on Nate, tell me you know that over exerting yourself IN ANY DAMN WAY could kill you and you JUST DON"T CARE."

"Sophie you are over-exaggerating." Nate said softly.

"Am I…really! Tell me Nate… come on tell me you don't need any help. Tell me you are fine when I can see you sitting there sweating from the effort. When I can see the pain you are in. When I can see how weak you are after just the short walk into this place. Tell me again Nate…tell me you are BLOODY FINE."

"Enough!" Nate said loudly pushing himself up and off the couch, ignoring the sharp pain the sudden movement had caused. "Enough!" He repeated as he grabbed the arm rest to steady himself.

"No Nate it is not enough. Do you know why? Because I DO BLOODY CARE." Sophie said her voice growing louder as her emotions overtook her. "I will NOT stand by and watch you kill yourself. I won't do it. So now you need to decide Nate. Either you are going to behave yourself and follow Jules' instructions and take care of yourself or…Or I am going to walk out of here. And if I do that Nate…I will not be coming back." Sophie said staring at the Mastermind as she gave the ultimatum.

Nate was now breathing heavily and he fell back onto the couch no longer able to keep himself standing.

"NATE…" Sophie called out alarmed at how pale he had turned and the fact that he was battling to catch his breath. She moved swiftly to the couch and sat beside him as he struggled through. "Nate please, please I'm begging you. Let us help you. Let ME help you. We need you Nate, don't you understand. I NEED YOU!" She said her tears now spilling over and flooding her cheeks. She put her hand under his chin and lifted his head so that she could look him in the eye. She saw the pain there, saw the struggle he was having as his chest heaved with deep breaths. "I love you Nate…" She whispered to him. She had not meant for this to happen now. He was too weak and she felt like a monster for attacking him when he was so vulnerable.

Nate heard her whispered confession and saw the love and concern in her eyes. He felt his heart melt but said nothing. Instead he gently moved her hands away and stood unsteadily fighting through the pain of his actions. He looked down at her; then moved his eyes to meet the angry ones of Eliot. Looking from Eliot to Parker all he saw was panic and confusion. Hardison looked concerned and frightened at the same time. Then without saying a word he moved on unsteady legs to his room and closed the door. Eliot watched him go and forced himself to remain still and not to rush to the man's side and help him as he wobbled his way slowly to the room. Sophie also followed his progress, his halting steps brining more tears to her eyes. His deep heavy breaths shattering the silence. When the door closed behind him she looked up at Eliot.

"I didn't mean…I mean I…Oh God Eliot." She said emotion overwhelming her.

"It's OK darling. It had to come out…" Eliot told the Grifter feeling her pain. Then he sighed and looked to the closed door. "Tomorrow is another day Sophie. Maybe when we get him home…" Eliot said although he could not quite bring himself to believe that would make any difference at all. Nate was a stubborn damn fool who was going to kill himself trying to prove he did not need any of them. He shook his head sadly at the thought then turned back to Sophie.

"Let's all get some sleep. Tomorrow we take him home and then…well one day at a time right?" He said.

The next morning Eliot started breakfast early. Hardison had arranged the charter flight for ten and he wanted to make sure they all had a good meal in them before making the journey. They others filtered into the kitchen a little later, Parker helping herself to serial as Hardison and Sophie each sat down with coffee. Sophie looked a question at Eliot and he shook his head in response. She sighed heavily and took another sip of her coffee before making her way to his room. Knocking lightly she opened the door to find the bed empty.

"Nate…" She called out softly.

"I'm in the bathroom. I'll be out now." He called back in response. She resisted the urge to go and check on him and retreated back to the kitchen.

"He said he would be out now." She told them as she sat down again.

Nate emerged a few minutes later and walked over to the table. Although his steps were slow he was a lot steadier than he had been the night before. Eliot served the meal as Sophie placed a cup of coffee before Nate. He smiled and taking a sip he looked at her in surprise.

"Jules said just enough to keep the DT's away." She said in explanation for the dash of whiskey she had added.

Nate said nothing as he put the coffee down and started on his breakfast. The meal was taken in relative silence. Nobody wanted to start another argument. Nate finished his meal and sat back in the chair surveying his team and sipping his now cold coffee.

"Hardison, I need to make a detour on the way to the airport." He told the Hacker.

"No problem Nate…where are we going?" Hardison asked.

"Holy Cross Cemetery..." Nate said softly. "Thanks for the breakfast Eliot." He muttered as he stood and made his way back to his room. "Call me when you're ready to go." He said over his shoulder before disappearing into the room.

They arrived at the Cemetery and Nate directed them to the section he wanted. Once the car had stopped he sat for a few seconds and closed his eyes. Then he took a deep breath and opened the door. Getting gout of the car he turned back and held his hand out to Sophie. She looked surprised but did not hesitate to take his hand and join him. She took his arm as they walked slowly down the little path. Sophie smiled to herself tears pricking her eyes as she felt him lean his weight slightly on her as they walked. Turning off the path they approached a grave with a bench in front of it. Sophie looked at the simple headstone and read the inscription.

"Samuel Ford. Beloved son… taken too soon."

Nate steered her to the bench and they sat down. Still no word had been spoken between them and yet Sophie knew that Nate had spoken volumes by bringing her here. Finally he did speak.

"I miss him…" He said softly not taking his eyes off of the gravestone. Sophie said nothing; she merely squeezed his hand gently. "When he died Sophie…when I lost him…" Nate took a deep breath before continuing. "I died with him. Not a piece of me Sophie…ME!... Only I didn't…" Nate stopped again his gaze not faltering from the headstone. "I swore to myself that would never happen again."

Still Sophie said nothing. She sensed that Nate needed to say whatever he needed to say and she was willing to sit here with him for as long as it took.

"When we started this. You were all just a team to me. Tools to be used." He said his voice dropping an octave on the last sentence as if he were ashamed of the statement. "Then you became more. I didn't want that. I didn't ask for it, it just happened. We became a family. If I had to lose one of them, Parker, Hardison or Eliot, any one of them Sophie it would be like…like losing…him." Nate said indicating the headstone his voice full of emotion and his eyes swimming in tears.

Finally he turned to look at her. He was exposing himself to her in a way he never had before. "If I lost you Sophie." He said taking her hand and squeezing it tightly. "It would kill me." He said looking deeply into her eyes and ignoring the tears escaping from his. He inhaled deeply and spoke to her his voice touching her very soul with his words. "I love you Sophie. With all my heart. With every bit of me."

Sophie saw the pure raw emotion in those pools of perfect blue. She could see that he was showing her his very essence. Something he had always kept carefully guarded. She leaned into him and wrapped her arms around him pulling him close. "God Nate…I love you more than anything …" She said. They sat there for what seemed like forever. Clinging to each other and letting their emotions flood them. Then Nate pulled away from her and kissed her gently on the forehead and then the lips.

"I'll try…" He whispered to her. "I promise I'll try to…to ask for…for help. I'll look after myself Sophie, for them, for you. I'll take it as slow as is needed because you know." Nate said raising her eyes to his. "I have something…someone to live for."

Sophie pulled him in tight to her again then kissed him tenderly.

"About bloody time Mr. Ford..." She said smiling through her tears. She knew she had to lighten the moment. They had to go, they had to leave here and go home, to their home. She could see that this whole ordeal had taken a lot out of Nate.

"Yes…yes…it is time to go HOME." He smiled kissing her again.

Finally she helped him up and they both said their goodbyes to Sam before turning to leave. At the junction with the pathway they saw the rest of the team waiting for them.

"Well are we going home or not?" Nate asked them smiling broadly.

"Yes…hell yeah man." Hardison said as he watched Eliot fall in beside Nate and the Mastermind take his arm in support.

Parker watched the scene and knew everything was going to be alright. She smiled her happy crazy smile and bounced ahead towards the car.

"I'll drive…" She called out and four voices called back simultaneously.

"PARKER…"

**WELL THAT IS THE END. I hope you all enjoyed it and it was a satisfying end to the story. Thank you to all my readers for your reviews and encouragement. Special thanks to Stella, Sphinx, Kd, Carebear818, Kelly, KendraBC, Gorgolo Chick, Kristen, Leveragus and huttonfan as well as SusieDevereaux, DeathWalker1717, DesertOrchid7485, Kathlynn Toppo, PartyGirl181084, Floralisette, AllAroundThunder, kelz, Zee-Zee Magee, NeverTrustAPirate1, Yeahlev, Don't Anticipate, scottlangleyscr and livestar, thank you all for taking the time to review my story, I really appreciate hearing from my readers, what they think and how they are enjoying (or not) the story and the direction it is taking. Thank you also to all of you who followed the story and favorited it.**

**Please let me know how you felt about this last chapter. I look forward to reading all of your reviews.**


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